Plants native to Gilbert Is.

We document 79 of the 95 species Kew’s World Checklist records as native to Gilbert 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 79 Native, per Kew 95 Coverage 83% TDWG GIL

Best documented by photographic coverage

Every documented species 79 native to Gilbert Is.

SpeciesAuthorityFamily Photographs
Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet Malvaceae 8
Achyranthes aspera L. Amaranthaceae 8
Aidia racemosa (Cav.) Tirveng. Rubiaceae 8
Asplenium australasicum Hook. Aspleniaceae 8
Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. Plantaginaceae 8
Barringtonia asiatica Kurz Lecythidaceae 8
Boerhavia repens L. Nyctaginaceae 8
Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Lam. ex Savigny Rhizophoraceae 8
Calophyllum inophyllum L. Calophyllaceae 8
Cassytha filiformis L. Lauraceae 8
Cerbera manghas L. Apocynaceae 8
Cordia subcordata Lam. Cordiaceae 8
Crinum asiaticum L. Amaryllidaceae 8
Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H.Rob. Asteraceae 8
Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Hassk. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus compressus L. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus javanicus Houtt. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus laevigatus L. Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus mindorensis (Steud.) Huygh Cyperaceae 8
Cyperus odoratus L. Cyperaceae 8
Cyrtosperma merkusii (Hassk.) Schott Araceae 8
Digitaria radicosa (J.Presl) Miq. Poaceae 8
Digitaria setigera Roth Poaceae 8
Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. Sapindaceae 8
Eleocharis geniculata (L.) Roem. & Schult. Cyperaceae 8
Fagraea berteroana A.Gray ex Benth. Gentianaceae 8
Ficus tinctoria G.Forst. Moraceae 8
Fimbristylis cymosa R.Br. Cyperaceae 8
Fimbristylis dichotoma (L.) Vahl Cyperaceae 8
Guettarda speciosa L. Rubiaceae 8
Heliotropium arboreum (Blanco) Mabb. Heliotropiaceae 8
Hernandia nymphaeifolia (C.Presl) Kubitzki Hernandiaceae 8
Hibiscus tiliaceus L. Malvaceae 8
Ipomoea aquatica Forssk. Convolvulaceae 8
Ipomoea littoralis Blume Convolvulaceae 8
Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R.Br. Convolvulaceae 8
Ipomoea violacea L. Convolvulaceae 8
Lepturus repens (G.Forst.) R.Br. Poaceae 8
Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P.H.Raven Onagraceae 8
Lumnitzera littorea (Jack) Voigt Combretaceae 8
Macaranga carolinensis Volkens Euphorbiaceae 8
Microsorum scolopendria (Burm.f.) Copel. Polypodiaceae 8
Miscanthus floridulus (Labill.) Warb. ex K.Schum. & Lauterb. Poaceae 8
Mucuna gigantea (Willd.) DC. Fabaceae 8
Ochrosia elliptica Labill. Apocynaceae 8
Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Du Roi Pandanaceae 8
Pemphis acidula J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. Lythraceae 8
Pipturus argenteus (G.Forst.) Wedd. Urticaceae 8
Pisonia grandis R.Br. Nyctaginaceae 8
Portulaca quadrifida L. Portulacaceae 8
Premna serratifolia L. Lamiaceae 8
Psilotum nudum (L.) P.Beauv. Psilotaceae 8
Pteris tripartita Sw. Pteridaceae 8
Rhizophora stylosa Griff. Rhizophoraceae 8
Ruppia maritima L. Ruppiaceae 8
Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. Goodeniaceae 8
Scleromitrion verticillatum (L.) R.J.Wang Rubiaceae 8
Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. Aizoaceae 8
Sida fallax Walp. Malvaceae 8
Sonneratia alba Sm. Lythraceae 8
Sophora tomentosa L. Fabaceae 8
Strobilanthes reptans (G.Forst.) Moylan ex Y.F.Deng & J.R.I.Wood Acanthaceae 8
Suriana maritima L. Surianaceae 8
Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze Dioscoreaceae 8
Thespesia populnea Sol. ex Corrêa Malvaceae 8
Thuarea involuta (G.Forst.) R.Br. ex Sm. Poaceae 8
Tribulus cistoides L. Zygophyllaceae 8
Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr. Fabaceae 8
Vitex trifolia L. Lamiaceae 8
Volkameria inermis L. Lamiaceae 8
Wollastonia biflora DC. Asteraceae 8
Ficus prolixa G.Forst. Moraceae 7
Crateva religiosa G.Forst. Capparaceae 6
Ochrosia oppositifolia K.Schum. Apocynaceae 6
Boerhavia albiflora Fosberg Nyctaginaceae 4
Cycas seemannii A.Braun Cycadaceae 4
Laportea ruderalis (G.Forst.) Chew Urticaceae 4
Triumfetta procumbens G.Forst. Malvaceae 4
Leptopetalum biflorum (L.) Neupane & N.Wikstr. Rubiaceae 3

What this page does not tell you

Kew records 16 more species as native to Gilbert 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 (GIL). 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.