Flora of Samoa

Uncommon card · No. 167929

The flora of Samoa comprises a range of vascular and non-vascular plants (moss and liverworts) found in the Samoan Islands. The flora comprises 833 native and naturalised flowering plants, 482 bryophyte species (including 248 species of moss and 234 liverwort species), and 225 species of ferns and fern allies. The islands that support this flora are of volcanic origin, with peaks rising to 1,858 m (6,096 ft). The volcanic landforms of the islands, combined with a tropical climate and high rainfall create a diverse range of habitats from mangrove forests along coastlines to lowland rainforests and cloud forests at higher elevations. The islands lie within the Polynesia-Micronesia biodiversity hotspot, an area with high levels of endemism. Most Samoan plants have origins in Southeast Asia and New Guinea, but a small number of species may have originated from the Americas. There are 540 native flowering plants and around one third of these are endemic. The largest family within the flowering...

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