Plants

Nicaragua is full of plants.

Nicaragua is home to many kinds of forests-dry tropical, cloud, semi-deciduous, pine, and tropical rainforests.

Nicaragua's forest trees include cedar, oak, and pine. But the tropical climate is also well-suited to persimmon, tamarind, mahogany, banana, and mango-trees.

The madrono (mah-DROH-ynoh) is the national tree of Nicaragua. It is a 30-foot-tall tree with white flowers, and belongs to the same family as the coffee plant, one of the country's most important crops.

The national flower is the frangipani (franj-ih-PAHN-ee) -- el sacuanjoche I(el sah-cwan- YOH-chay)- more commonly known as West Indian jasmine.

Many astoundingly beautiful flowers thrive in Nicaragua's sunshine. Hibiscus, bougainvillea (boh-gahn-VEE-yah) (shown here), and orchids abound.

You might grow them as houseplants, but In Nicaragua plants such as aloe, ferns, dieffenbachia (dee-fehn-BOK-ee-ah), hibiscus, ficus, and rubber plants can be found growing in gardens and along roadsides.