Plants of horticultural importance in Jamaica and the Caribbean region: botany and distribution
2011
Rose, P.E. | Benkeblia, N.
There are about 2500 genera of seed plants in the Caribbean. These include 204 endemic flowering plants and one endemic gymnosperm (Microcycas). All the endemic genera are confined to the Greater Antilles. Of these, 118 are restricted to individual islands. Naturally occurring food plants are extremely few. Many of these possess a fleshy pericarp, while only a few of these species of trees and shrubs are used to any extent by people. Medicinal plants in current use are widely dispersed in Jamaica and the Caribbean; however, the notion is often voiced that native Caribbean flora might yield new medicinal plants and that forests should be conserved pending searches for them. A number of potential ornamental species includes shrubs (e.g. Gesneria spp., Lisianthius spp., and Portlandia spp.), trees (e.g. Charianthus fadyenii, Thespesia grandiflora), cacti (e.g. Rhodocactus cubensis), epiphytes (e.g. many bromeliads and orchids), climbers (e.g. Passiflora spp., Solandra spp.) and ferns. Moreover, many craft materials are obtained from common and readily available crops, such as coconut or maize, or from widespread introduced ornamentals or shade trees, such as flamboyant (Delonix regia) or red bead tree (Adenanthera pavonina).
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