Plants native to Central American Pacific Is.

We document 110 of the 207 species Kew’s World Checklist records as native to Central American Pacific Is.. Native means native: introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where these plants are from, not everywhere they now grow.

Documented 110 Native, per Kew 207 Coverage 53% TDWG CPI

Best documented by photographic coverage

Every documented species 110 native to Central American Pacific Is.

SpeciesAuthorityFamily Photographs
Acrostichum aureum L. Pteridaceae 8
Adiantum latifolium Lam. Pteridaceae 8
Adiantum pulverulentum L. Pteridaceae 8
Annona glabra L. Annonaceae 8
Anthurium scandens (Aubl.) Engl. Araceae 8
Ardisia compressa Kunth Primulaceae 8
Axonopus compressus (Sw.) P.Beauv. Poaceae 8
Calyptocarpus brasiliensis (Nees & Mart.) B.L.Turner Asteraceae 8
Campyloneurum phyllitidis (L.) C.Presl Polypodiaceae 8
Canavalia rosea (Sw.) DC. Fabaceae 8
Capraria biflora L. Scrophulariaceae 8
Cenchrus echinatus L. Poaceae 8
Cenostigma eriostachys (Benth.) Gagnon & G.P.Lewis Fabaceae 8
Chrysobalanus icaco L. Chrysobalanaceae 8
Clusia rosea Jacq. Clusiaceae 8
Conocarpus erectus L. Combretaceae 8
Cyperus aggregatus (Willd.) Endl. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Hassk. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus esculentus L. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus flavescens L. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus ligularis L. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus odoratus L. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus prolixus Kunth Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus sphacelatus Rottb. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus subsquarrosus (Muhl.) Bauters Cyperaceae 8
Desmodium incanum (Sw.) DC. Fabaceae 8
Eleocharis geniculata (L.) Roem. & Schult. Cyperaceae 8
Entada gigas (L.) Fawc. & Rendle Fabaceae 8
Erythrina fusca Lour. Fabaceae 8
Eulophia alta (L.) Fawc. & Rendle Orchidaceae 8
Euphorbia hirta L. Euphorbiaceae 8
Euterpe precatoria Mart. Arecaceae 8
Ficus aurea Nutt. Moraceae 8
Ficus pertusa L.f. Moraceae 8
Fimbristylis dichotoma (L.) Vahl Cyperaceae 8
Gleichenella pectinata (Willd.) Ching Gleicheniaceae 8
Guilandina bonduc L. Fabaceae 8
Heliotropium curassavicum L. Heliotropiaceae 8
Hibiscus tiliaceus L. Malvaceae 8
Hyptis capitata Jacq. Lamiaceae 8
Ipomoea alba L. Convolvulaceae 8
Ipomoea indica (Burm.) Merr. Convolvulaceae 8
Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R.Br. Convolvulaceae 8
Kohleria spicata (Kunth) Oerst. Gesneriaceae 8
Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew Urticaceae 8
Leptospron adenanthum (G.Mey.) A.Delgado Fabaceae 8
Ludwigia hyssopifolia (G.Don) Exell Onagraceae 8
Miconia crenata (Vahl) Michelang. Melastomataceae 8
Miconia lasiopoda (Benth.) Michelang. Melastomataceae 8
Miconia prasina (Sw.) DC. Melastomataceae 8
Moquilea platypus Hemsl. Chrysobalanaceae 8
Mucuna sloanei Fawc. & Rendle Fabaceae 8
Muntingia calabura L. Muntingiaceae 8
Najas marina L. Hydrocharitaceae 8
Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw.) Schott Nephrolepidaceae 8
Ochroma pyramidale (Cav. ex Lam.) Urb. Malvaceae 8
Oleandra articulata (Sw.) C.Presl Oleandraceae 8
Palicourea gracilenta (Müll.Arg.) Delprete & J.H.Kirkbr. Rubiaceae 8
Paspalum conjugatum P.J.Bergius Poaceae 8
Paspalum distichum L. Poaceae 8
Peperomia glabella (Sw.) A.Dietr. Piperaceae 8
Philodendron hederaceum (Jacq.) Schott Araceae 8
Phlebodium aureum (L.) J.Sm. Polypodiaceae 8
Phytolacca rivinoides Kunth & C.D.Bouché Phytolaccaceae 8
Pityrogramma calomelanos (L.) Link Pteridaceae 8
Pleopeltis macrocarpa (Bory ex Willd.) Kaulf. Polypodiaceae 8
Psilotum nudum (L.) P.Beauv. Psilotaceae 8
Pteris biaurita L. Pteridaceae 8
Rhynchospora nervosa (Vahl) Boeckeler Cyperaceae 8
Richardia scabra L. Rubiaceae 8
Rumohra adiantiformis (G.Forst.) Ching Dryopteridaceae 8
Ruppia maritima L. Ruppiaceae 8
Schoenoplectus acutus (Muhl. ex Bigelow) Á.Löve & D.Löve Cyperaceae 8
Senna reticulata (Willd.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby Fabaceae 8
Setaria parviflora (Poir.) Kerguélen Poaceae 8
Solanum douglasii Dunal Solanaceae 8
Spermacoce exilis (L.O.Williams) C.D.Adams ex W.C.Burger & C.M.Taylor Rubiaceae 8
Spermacoce latifolia Aubl. Rubiaceae 8
Spermacoce ocymifolia Willd. Rubiaceae 8
Spermacoce prostrata Aubl. Rubiaceae 8
Spermacoce remota Lam. Rubiaceae 8
Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski Asteraceae 8
Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid. Araceae 8
Stuckenia pectinata (L.) Börner Potamogetonaceae 8
Tectaria incisa Cav. Tectariaceae 8
Trema micranthum (L.) Blume Cannabaceae 8
Trichomanes elegans Rich. Hymenophyllaceae 8
Turnera ulmifolia L. Passifloraceae 8
Urena lobata L. Malvaceae 8
Vigna vexillata (L.) A.Rich. Fabaceae 8
Voyria aphylla (Jacq.) Pers. Gentianaceae 8
Waltheria indica L. Malvaceae 8
Zostera marina L. Zosteraceae 8
Cyperus hortensis (Salzm. ex Steud.) Dorr Cyperaceae 7
Olfersia cervina Kunze Dryopteridaceae 7
Cornutia pyramidata L. Lamiaceae 6
Miconia quinquenervia (Mill.) Gamba & Almeda Melastomataceae 6
Mucuna mutisiana (Kunth) DC. Fabaceae 6
Nephrolepis pectinata (Willd.) Schott Nephrolepidaceae 6
Paspalum nutans Lam. Poaceae 6
Vittaria graminifolia Kaulf. Pteridaceae 6
Cassipourea elliptica (Sw.) Poir. Rhizophoraceae 5
Guarea glabra Vahl Meliaceae 5
Tectaria mexicana (Fée) C.V.Morton Tectariaceae 5
Polyphlebium capillaceum (L.) Ebihara & Dubuisson Hymenophyllaceae 4
Schlegelia brachyantha Griseb. Schlegeliaceae 4
Selaginella stenophylla A.Braun Selaginellaceae 4
Cyperus tenerrimus J.Presl & C.Presl Cyperaceae 3
Miconia dodecandra Cogn. Melastomataceae 3
Ocotea insularis (Meisn.) Mez Lauraceae 3

What this page does not tell you

Kew records 97 more species as native to Central American Pacific Is. 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 (CPI). 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.