Plants native to Aldabra

We document 101 of the 192 species Kew’s World Checklist records as native to Aldabra. Native means native: introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where these plants are from, not everywhere they now grow.

Documented 101 Native, per Kew 192 Coverage 53% TDWG ALD

Best documented by photographic coverage

Every documented species 101 native to Aldabra

SpeciesAuthorityFamily Photographs
Abrus precatorius L. Fabaceae 8
Abutilon angulatum (Guill. & Perr.) Mast. Malvaceae 8
Apodytes dimidiata E.Mey. ex Arn. Metteniusaceae 8
Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. Acanthaceae 8
Azima tetracantha Lam. Salvadoraceae 8
Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. Plantaginaceae 8
Boerhavia diffusa L. Nyctaginaceae 8
Boerhavia repens L. Nyctaginaceae 8
Brexia madagascariensis (Lam.) Ker Gawl. Celastraceae 8
Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Lam. ex Savigny Rhizophoraceae 8
Calophyllum inophyllum L. Calophyllaceae 8
Canavalia rosea (Sw.) DC. Fabaceae 8
Capparis cartilaginea Decne. Capparaceae 8
Carissa spinarum L. Apocynaceae 8
Cassytha filiformis L. Lauraceae 8
Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone Poaceae 8
Cenchrus setosus Sw. Poaceae 8
Ceriops tagal (Perr.) C.B.Rob. Rhizophoraceae 8
Chloris barbata Sw. Poaceae 8
Cissampelos pareira L. Menispermaceae 8
Colubrina asiatica Brongn. Rhamnaceae 8
Coptosperma supra-axillare (Hemsl.) Degreef Rubiaceae 8
Cordia subcordata Lam. Cordiaceae 8
Cynanchum viminale (L.) L. Apocynaceae 8
Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. Poaceae 8
Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Hassk. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus conglomeratus Rottb. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus dubius Rottb. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus ligularis L. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus pumilus L. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus rotundus L. Cyperaceae 8
Digitaria ciliaris (Retz.) Koeler Poaceae 8
Digitaria didactyla Willd. Poaceae 8
Digitaria setigera Roth Poaceae 8
Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. Sapindaceae 8
Dracaena reflexa Lam. Asparagaceae 8
Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. Poaceae 8
Eragrostis ciliaris (L.) R.Br. Poaceae 8
Eragrostis tenella (L.) P.Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult. Poaceae 8
Erythrina variegata L. Fabaceae 8
Evolvulus alsinoides (L.) L. Convolvulaceae 8
Ficus lutea Vahl Moraceae 8
Fimbristylis cymosa R.Br. Cyperaceae 8
Fimbristylis ferruginea (L.) Vahl Cyperaceae 8
Flacourtia indica (Burm.f.) Merr. Salicaceae 8
Glinus oppositifolius Aug.DC. Molluginaceae 8
Guettarda speciosa L. Rubiaceae 8
Guilandina bonduc L. Fabaceae 8
Gymnanthemum coloratum (Willd.) H.Rob. & B.Kahn Asteraceae 8
Heliotropium arboreum (Blanco) Mabb. Heliotropiaceae 8
Hernandia nymphaeifolia (C.Presl) Kubitzki Hernandiaceae 8
Hibiscus tiliaceus L. Malvaceae 8
Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R.Br. Convolvulaceae 8
Ipomoea violacea L. Convolvulaceae 8
Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew Urticaceae 8
Lemna aequinoctialis Welw. Araceae 8
Lepturus repens (G.Forst.) R.Br. Poaceae 8
Lumnitzera racemosa Willd. Combretaceae 8
Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq.) B.K.Simon & S.W.L.Jacobs Poaceae 8
Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka Poaceae 8
Mystroxylon aethiopicum (Thunb.) Loes. Celastraceae 8
Ocimum gratissimum L. Lamiaceae 8
Pandanus odorifer (Forssk.) Kuntze Pandanaceae 8
Panicum repens L. Poaceae 8
Pemphis acidula J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. Lythraceae 8
Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene Verbenaceae 8
Phyllanthus maderaspatensis L. Phyllanthaceae 8
Pipturus argenteus (G.Forst.) Wedd. Urticaceae 8
Pisonia aculeata L. Nyctaginaceae 8
Pisonia grandis R.Br. Nyctaginaceae 8
Portulaca oleracea L. Portulacaceae 8
Premna serratifolia L. Lamiaceae 8
Rhizophora mucronata Poir. Rhizophoraceae 8
Ruppia maritima L. Ruppiaceae 8
Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. Goodeniaceae 8
Scutia myrtina Kurz Rhamnaceae 8
Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. Aizoaceae 8
Sideroxylon inerme L. Sapotaceae 8
Sonneratia alba Sm. Lythraceae 8
Sophora tomentosa L. Fabaceae 8
Stenotaphrum dimidiatum (L.) Brongn. Poaceae 8
Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze Orobanchaceae 8
Suriana maritima L. Surianaceae 8
Tephrosia pumila (Lam.) Pers. Fabaceae 8
Thespesia populnea Sol. ex Corrêa Malvaceae 8
Trianthema portulacastrum L. Aizoaceae 8
Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr. Fabaceae 8
Volkameria glabra (E.Mey.) Mabb. & Y.W.Yuan Lamiaceae 8
Xylocarpus granatum J.Koenig Meliaceae 8
Xylocarpus moluccensis (Lam.) M.Roem. Meliaceae 8
Acampe pachyglossa Rchb.f. Orchidaceae 7
Thalassodendron ciliatum (Forssk.) Hartog Cymodoceaceae 7
Thespesia populneoides (Roxb.) Kostel. Malvaceae 6
Halodule uninervis (Forssk.) Boiss. Cymodoceaceae 5
Obetia radula (Baker) Baker ex B.D.Jacks. Urticaceae 4
Triumfetta procumbens G.Forst. Malvaceae 4
Cycas thouarsii R.Br. Cycadaceae 3
Cyperus niveus Retz. Cyperaceae 3
Panicum voeltzkowii Mez Poaceae 3
Salvadora angustifolia Turrill Salvadoraceae 3
Sclerodactylon macrostachyum (Benth.) A.Camus Poaceae 3

What this page does not tell you

Kew records 91 more species as native to Aldabra that we do not document. They are real, accepted plants. They have no page here because we could not find three photographs of them licensed for commercial use, and this site publishes no species it cannot show you. That gap is the honest measure of what we are missing, and it is why we print both numbers rather than the flattering one.

This is a checklist of what is native, not a guide to what will grow in your garden, and it carries no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not have those from a source we can cite.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). Native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country (ALD). Introduced, extinct and doubtful records excluded. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  2. World Flora Online Plant List. Accepted names, authorities, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  3. iNaturalist. Photographs, restricted to CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA. Retrieved 2026-06-27.