Plants native to Nauru

We document 49 of the 57 species Kew’s World Checklist records as native to Nauru. Native means native: introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where these plants are from, not everywhere they now grow.

Documented 49 Native, per Kew 57 Coverage 86% TDWG NRU

Best documented by photographic coverage

Every documented species 49 native to Nauru

SpeciesAuthorityFamily Photographs
Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet Malvaceae 8
Achyranthes aspera L. Amaranthaceae 8
Aidia racemosa (Cav.) Tirveng. Rubiaceae 8
Barringtonia asiatica Kurz Lecythidaceae 8
Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Lam. ex Savigny Rhizophoraceae 8
Calophyllum inophyllum L. Calophyllaceae 8
Canavalia cathartica Thouars Fabaceae 8
Canavalia rosea (Sw.) DC. Fabaceae 8
Capparis spinosa L. Capparaceae 8
Cassytha filiformis L. Lauraceae 8
Cerbera manghas L. Apocynaceae 8
Chrysopogon aciculatus (Retz.) Trin. Poaceae 8
Colubrina asiatica Brongn. Rhamnaceae 8
Cordia subcordata Lam. Cordiaceae 8
Cyperus javanicus Houtt. Cyperaceae 8
Derris trifoliata Lour. Fabaceae 8
Digitaria radicosa (J.Presl) Miq. Poaceae 8
Digitaria setigera Roth Poaceae 8
Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. Sapindaceae 8
Erythrina variegata L. Fabaceae 8
Fagraea berteroana A.Gray ex Benth. Gentianaceae 8
Fimbristylis cymosa R.Br. 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 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
Microsorum scolopendria (Burm.f.) Copel. Polypodiaceae 8
Ochrosia elliptica Labill. Apocynaceae 8
Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Du Roi Pandanaceae 8
Paspalum orbiculare G.Forst. Poaceae 8
Pisonia grandis R.Br. Nyctaginaceae 8
Premna serratifolia L. Lamiaceae 8
Psilotum nudum (L.) P.Beauv. Psilotaceae 8
Pteris tripartita Sw. Pteridaceae 8
Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. Goodeniaceae 8
Sida fallax Walp. Malvaceae 8
Suriana maritima L. Surianaceae 8
Terminalia catappa L. Combretaceae 8
Thespesia populnea Sol. ex Corrêa Malvaceae 8
Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr. Fabaceae 8
Vitex trifolia L. Lamiaceae 8
Volkameria inermis L. Lamiaceae 8
Ficus prolixa G.Forst. Moraceae 7
Laportea ruderalis (G.Forst.) Chew Urticaceae 4
Triumfetta procumbens G.Forst. Malvaceae 4

What this page does not tell you

Kew records 8 more species as native to Nauru 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 (NRU). 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.