Flora of Maldives

Ficus amplissima, also known as the Indian bat tree, Indian bat fig, Pimpri, Pipri (Piparee), Pipali or Bilibasari mara (in the Kannada language) is a tree species of flowering plants that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is native to Central and southern Peninsular India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, having a significant distribution throughout Western Ghats of India. It is most commonly planted to provide shade in coffee plantations due to its dense and wide foliage. The ripened figs attract many birds, especially during the spring.

Senna auriculata is a leguminous tree in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is commonly known by its local names matura tea tree, avaram or ranawara, (Kannada: ಆವರಿಕೆ āvarike, Marathi: तरवड, Malayalam: ആവര, Sinhala: රණවරා ranawarā,Telugu: తంగేడు taṃgēḍu, Tamil: ஆவாரை āvārai) or the English version avaram senna. It is the State flower of Indian state of Telangana. It occurs in the dry regions of India and Sri Lanka. It is common along the sea coast and the dry zone in Sri Lanka.

Rhaphidophora pertusa is a climbing species of aroid plant within the genus Rhaphidophora of the Araceae family. The species—which, superficially, is quite similar to R. tetrasperma—is found on the Andaman-Nicobar Islands and the Maldives, as well as in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka. In 2022 and 2023, the species became somewhat more readily available on the international houseplant market, leading to some confusion among newer plant collectors and gardeners; at first glance, R. pertusa resembles the so-called ‘Mini Monstera’, which is technically R. tetrasperma, causing

Senna surattensis, also called glossy shower, scrambled egg tree, glossy shower, golden Senna, glaucous Cassia, sunshine tree and bushy Cassia, is a plant species of the legume family (Fabaceae) in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae that is native to southeast Asia, and possibly northern and eastern Australia. S. surattensis is named after Surat district, situated near Bombay, India.

Panicum miliaceum is a grain crop with many common names, including proso millet, broomcorn millet, common millet, hog millet, Kashfi millet, red millet, and white millet. Archaeobotanical evidence suggests millet was first domesticated about 10,000 BP in Northern China. Major cultivated areas include Northern China, Himachal Pradesh of India, Nepal, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Middle East, Turkey, Romania, and the Great Plains states of the United States. About 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) are grown each year. The crop is notable both for its extremely short lifecycle, with some

Ficus benghalensis, Ficus indica, or Ficus audrey commonly known as the banyan, banyan fig, audrey fig and Indian banyan, is a tree native to the Indian subcontinent. Specimens in India are among the largest trees in the world by canopy coverage. It is also known as a "strangler fig" because like many other trees in the genus Ficus it starts out as epiphyte, that is, leaning on another tree that it ends up enveloping.

Pancratium zeylanicum, commonly known as the Javanese lily is a bulbous perennial herb native to Borneo, Java, the Maluku Islands, Sulawesi, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, the Laccadive Islands, and the Philippines. It is sometimes grown as a hothouse container plant. It does not have a rest period unless water is withheld. It propagates by producing offsets and seed. The pollinator is a moth with a very long proboscis. Flowers are white with narrow tepals and long teeth along the margin of the staminal corona.

Tinospora cordifolia, guruchi, guduchi, amrita, or the heart-leaved moonseed, is a herbaceous vine of the family Menispermaceae native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been used in Ayurveda in an attempt to treat various disorders. There is no good evidence Tinospora cordifolia is of benefit as a medicine and its use can lead to potentially fatal herb-induced liver injury.

Ficus lacor is a large evergreen tree of the family Moraceae, native to Asia and Australia. It is the city tree of Chongqing. It is a good fodder species. Ceremonial, edible and fodder. Young buds (Surulo) are used in making pickles. Seeds are tonic in nature and used in treatment of stomach disorder.

Oldenlandia umbellata (called chay root or choy root, from its Tamil name, chaaya ver) is a low-growing plant native to India. A colour-fast red dye can be extracted from the root bark of (preferably) a two-year-old plant. Chay root dye was once used with a mordant to impart a red colour to fabrics such as calico, wool, and silk. It is grown on the Coromandel Coast in India.

Corchorus capsularis (also known as patsun), commonly known as white jute, is a shrub species in the family Malvaceae. It is one of the sources of jute fibre, considered to be of finer quality than fibre from Corchorus olitorius, the main source of jute. The leaves are used as a foodstuff and the leaves, unripe fruit and the roots are used in traditional medicine.

Spermacoce ocymoides is a species of plant in the Rubiaceae. It is widespread in Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, Solomon Isles, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu.

Pseudoraphis spinescens, called spiny mudgrass or Moira grass is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous aquatic or semi-aquatic perennial grass, with ascending stems forming loose, floating mats in water to 1 m deep or more, or with stems to 50 cm high when not submerged. Moira grass (Pseudoraphis spinescens) was first described in 1810 by Robert Brown as Panicum spinescens, and subsequently transferred to Pseudoraphis by Joyce W. Vickery in 1950. Pseudoraphis spinescens is native to floodplains in Asia and Australasia, it is a C4 species, requiring seasonal cycles of prolonged, deep flooding

Dendrobium macrostachyum, commonly known as the fringed tree orchid, is a species of epiphytic orchid with long, narrow pseudobulbs that lose their leaves as they mature, and up to three whitish to lime green flowers with a hairy labellum. It is native to Australia, tropical Asia and eastern Malesia.

Calotropis gigantea, the crown flower, is a species of Calotropis native to India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,Thailand, Sri Lanka, China, Pakistan, and Nepal. It is a large shrub growing to 4 m (13 ft) tall. It has clusters of waxy flowers that are either white or lavender in colour. Each flower consists of five pointed petals and a small "crown" rising from the center which holds the stamens. The aestivation found in calotropis is valvate i.e. sepals or petals in a whorl just touch one another at the margin, without overlapping. The plant has oval, light

Ardisia elliptica is an evergreen tree, also known as the shoebutton ardisia, duck's eye and coralberry, native to the west coast of India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Guinea. It is a prolific reproducer which has made it a successful invasive species in other locations in the tropics where it has been introduced as a garden ornamental.

Bruguiera cylindrica is a small tree in the mangrove family Rhizophoraceae, native to tropical Asia and Australia. It was first described in 1827 and has the conservation status of least concern.

Croton tiglium, known as purging croton, is a plant species in the family Euphorbiaceae.

Trichosanthes cucumerina is a tropical or subtropical vine. Its variety T. cucumerina var. anguina raised for its strikingly long fruit. In Asia, it is eaten immature as a vegetable much like the summer squash and in Africa, the reddish pulp of mature snake gourd is used as an economical substitute for tomato. Common names for the cultivated variety include snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda padwal and Snake Tomato. Trichosanthes cucumerina is found in the wild across much of South and Southeast Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia,

Barleria prionitis is a shrub in the family Acanthaceae, native to Island and Mainland Southeast Asia, China, the Indian Subcontinent, the Arabian Peninsula and northeastern Africa. It is widely spread as an ornamental and weed, occurring in naturalised populations around the world. It used not only as an ornamental but also as a hedge and extensively as a component of folk medicines. As a weed it is regarded as problematic in many areas.

Cyanotis cristata is a species of perennial plant in the family Commelinaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, southern China, Southeast Asia, Ethiopia, Socotra, Mauritius, Java, and the Philippines. Cyanotis cristata is a creeping herb found in sandy or grassy spots. It is common in eastern hills of Nepal.

Adenanthera pavonina (red sandalwood) is a species of leguminous tree native to southern Asia and northern Australasia. Its uses include food and drink, traditional medicine, and timber.

Pandanus odorifer is an aromatic monocot species of plant in the family Pandanaceae, native to Polynesia, Australia, South Asia (Andaman Islands), and the Philippines, and is also found wild in southern India and Burma. It is commonly known as fragrant screw-pine.

Pseudoraphis is a genus of Asian and Australian plants in the grass family, commonly known as mudgrasses. They grow in open, wet habitat, such as marshes. Some are aquatic, floating plants. A defining characteristic is a long, stiff bristle extending from the tip of each branch of the inflorescence. Pseudoraphis is closely related to the genus Chamaeraphis. Species Pseudoraphis balansae - Hainan, Thailand, Vietnam Pseudoraphis brunoniana - Anhui, Guangdong, Taiwan, Japan, Assam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam Pseudoraphis jagonis - Queensland Pseudoraphis

Spinifex littoreus is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. The species is similar to Spinifex longifolius. It is native to tropical and subtropical areas of Asia and Australia. The species is dioecious. It has been suggested that the species might give a significant model for studying the regulation as well as the evolutionary history of C4 and CAM photosynthesis.

Dioscorea pentaphylla is a species of flowering plant in the yam family known by the common name fiveleaf yam. It is native to southern and eastern Asia (China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Philippines, etc.) as well as New Guinea, Sri Lanka and northern Australia. It is widely cultivated as a food crop and naturalized in Cuba and on several island chains in the Pacific (including Hawaii). Dioscorea pentaphylla is a prickly vine that twines counterclockwise around objects and other plants. It may reach 10 meters in length. The alternately arranged leaves are compound, divided into 3 to 5

Adenanthera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. According to Flora of Hong Kong (2008), the genus comprises ten species occurring in tropical Asia and the Pacific Islands, but only A. microsperma present in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Nothosaerva is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae containing the single species Nothosaerva brachiata. It is native to India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and eastern Africa. This species was first described in 1852 with the name Pseudanthus. This turned out to be an illegitimate homonym, so it was renamed Nothosaerva in 1853.

Indigofera tinctoria, also called true indigo, is a species of plant from the bean family that was one of the original sources of indigo dye.

Rostellularia procumbens, commonly known as water willow (Marathi: करंबल, romanized: Karambal, पित्तपापडा, Pitpapada, कलमाशी, Kalmashi,Tamil: கோடகசாலை, romanized: Kōṭakacālai), is a small flowering plant belonging to the Acanthaceae family. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, Indochina, China, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea. It is found in higher elevations, commonly in humid areas. The leaves' juice can be squeezed in the eyes in cases of ophthalmia.