Plants of the Caribbean

Within the area circled in the map below are several regions.  There is the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, which has a different climate from the rest of the United States.  Bermuda, with respect to latitude, is directly east of North Carolina (which is firmly in the temperate zone) but due to the temperature-moderating effects of southerly ocean currents, Bermuda enjoys a sub-tropical climate, as evidenced by the presence of many of the same plants that are found further south.  Also included are the islands of the Bahamas.  Strictly speaking, all of the above are outside the boundaries of the Caribbean Sea, but share the same plant types as the Caribbean islands due to ocean and wind currents.

The Greater Antilles are the large islands, such as Cuba, Hispanola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico.  Their southern shores form the northern boundary of the Caribbean Sea proper.  The Lesser Antilles are all of those many smaller dots, which are green islands dappling the surrounding sparkling waters like drops off the Creator's brush.  The Windward Islands generally refer to the small dots to the right of the map, since they first receive the winds which prevail from the east, and were the first places where, in the days before the invention of mechanical engines, the sailing ships would arrive from the coast of Africa.  The Leeward Islands are those other small dots north of the Windward Islands.

The "West Indies", as named by Columbus, who thought he was much further west than he actually was, is another name for the islands of the Caribbean.  The West Indies were traditionally divided  into various sub-regions, based on the European country that colonized them (British West Indies, French West Indies, etc.).  These islands, along with Mexico, are considered to be part of North America.

The countries of Central America and South America that border the Caribbean also share many of the same plants, due in no small part to the migratory routes of birds that pass through, along with water and wind currents, and passing tropical storms.

In an attempt to simplify all of the above, we propose to name this the Greater Caribbean Area, and the plants that we will present below are all appropriate for planting within this entire area, within their preferred environment.

Plant Lists will be inserted here...please stand by

Here is a Google map, that you can use to roam around the area. Grab it and drag it and zoom in or out.:

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