Plants native to Selvagens

We document 73 of the 94 species Kew’s World Checklist records as native to Selvagens. Native means native: introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where these plants are from, not everywhere they now grow.

Documented 73 Native, per Kew 94 Coverage 78% TDWG SEL

Best documented by photographic coverage

Every documented species 73 native to Selvagens

SpeciesAuthorityFamily Photographs
Achyranthes aspera L. Amaranthaceae 8
Aizoon canariense L. Aizoaceae 8
Ammi majus L. Apiaceae 8
Arenaria serpyllifolia L. Caryophyllaceae 8
Asplenium marinum L. Aspleniaceae 8
Astydamia latifolia (L.f.) Baill. Apiaceae 8
Biserrula pelecinus L. Fabaceae 8
Cakile maritima Scop. Brassicaceae 8
Centaurea melitensis L. Asteraceae 8
Cistanche phelypaea (L.) Cout. Orobanchaceae 8
Crassula tillaea Lest.-Garl. Crassulaceae 8
Cuscuta epithymum L. Convolvulaceae 8
Cynosurus echinatus L. Poaceae 8
Cyperus rotundus L. Cyperaceae 8
Echium plantagineum L. Boraginaceae 8
Emex spinosa (L.) Campd. Polygonaceae 8
Erodium cicutarium (L.) L'Hér. Geraniaceae 8
Festuca bromoides L. Poaceae 8
Frankenia hirsuta L. Frankeniaceae 8
Frankenia pulverulenta L. Frankeniaceae 8
Fumaria muralis Sond. ex W.D.J.Koch Papaveraceae 8
Galium aparine L. Rubiaceae 8
Gastridium ventricosum (Gouan) Schinz & Thell. Poaceae 8
Herniaria hirsuta L. Caryophyllaceae 8
Holcus lanatus L. Poaceae 8
Hordeum murinum L. Poaceae 8
Kickxia spuria (L.) Dumort. Plantaginaceae 8
Limonium pectinatum (Aiton) Kuntze Plumbaginaceae 8
Lobularia canariensis (DC.) L.Borgen Brassicaceae 8
Lolium perenne L. Poaceae 8
Lolium rigidum Gaudin Poaceae 8
Lolium temulentum L. Poaceae 8
Lotus glaucus Aiton Fabaceae 8
Lysimachia arvensis (L.) U.Manns & Anderb. Primulaceae 8
Lysimachia foemina (Mill.) U.Manns & Anderb. Primulaceae 8
Malva multiflora (Cav.) Soldano, Banfi & Galasso Malvaceae 8
Malva parviflora L. Malvaceae 8
Mantisalca salmantica (L.) Briq. & Cavill. Asteraceae 8
Mercurialis annua L. Euphorbiaceae 8
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. Aizoaceae 8
Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum L. Aizoaceae 8
Misopates orontium (L.) Raf. Plantaginaceae 8
Nigella damascena L. Ranunculaceae 8
Patellifolia procumbens (C.Sm. ex Hornem.) A.J.Scott, Ford-Lloyd & J.T.Williams Chenopodiaceae 8
Periploca laevigata Aiton Apocynaceae 8
Phagnalon saxatile (L.) Cass. Asteraceae 8
Plantago afra L. Plantaginaceae 8
Plantago coronopus L. Plantaginaceae 8
Polycarpon tetraphyllum (L.) L. Caryophyllaceae 8
Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn Dennstaedtiaceae 8
Rubia fruticosa Aiton Rubiaceae 8
Rumex pulcher L. Polygonaceae 8
Schizogyne sericea (L.f.) DC. Asteraceae 8
Scilla madeirensis Menezes Asparagaceae 8
Sherardia arvensis L. Rubiaceae 8
Silene gallica L. Caryophyllaceae 8
Silene uniflora Roth Caryophyllaceae 8
Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop. Brassicaceae 8
Solanum nigrum L. Solanaceae 8
Sonchus asper (L.) Hill Asteraceae 8
Sonchus oleraceus L. Asteraceae 8
Sonchus tenerrimus L. Asteraceae 8
Suaeda vera Forssk. ex J.F.Gmel. Chenopodiaceae 8
Thinopyrum junceum (L.) Á.Löve Poaceae 8
Umbilicus gaditanus Boiss. Crassulaceae 8
Urtica membranacea Poir. ex Savigny Urticaceae 8
Zygophyllum creticum (L.) Christenh. & Byng Zygophyllaceae 8
Zygophyllum fontanesii Webb & Berthel. Zygophyllaceae 8
Spergularia flaccida (Madden) I.M.Turner Caryophyllaceae 6
Wahlenbergia lobelioides (L.f.) Link Campanulaceae 6
Pulicaria burchardii Hutch. Asteraceae 5
Asparagus scoparius Lowe Asparagaceae 3
Fumaria montana J.A.Schmidt Papaveraceae 3

What this page does not tell you

Kew records 21 more species as native to Selvagens 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 (SEL). 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.