Draft:Flora of Samoa
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Submission declined on 16 July 2026 by Ozzie10aaaa (talk).
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Comment: needs c/e, references don't show notability Ozzie10aaaa (talk) 15:45, 16 July 2026 (UTC)
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The Flora of Samoa Includes species of plants found In Samoa. The volcanic islands of Savaiʻi and Upolu comprise approximately 90% of the total land area of Samoa. The flora of Samoa comprises about 550 native species of flowering plants , These species fall into 95 plant families and about 300 genera.[1] In total, There are 833 native and naturalized flowering plants, and 225 ferns and allies. 177 are endemic.[2] The Samoa flora is approximately one-third the size of Fiji's flora, though the two regions share significant floristic affinities due to geographical proximity. In Samoa, the largest family of flowering plants is Orchidaceae (orchids), which includes 101 native species. This represents the highest diversity of orchid flora among all Polynesian islands. The second largest family is Rubiaceae (the madder or coffee family), comprising 47 native and five naturalised species.[3]
Vegatation
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Samoa is part of the Polynesia-Micronesia Biodiversity Hotspot, one of 34 regions of the world. Samoa has many different vegatation zones, mainly composed of lowland, montane, and cloud forests. Of all the ecosystems, the lowland rain forest canopy is predominantly dominated by tree genera such as Diospyros, Calophyllum, Dysoxylum, Pometia, Planchonella, Syzygium, and Myristica.[4] Montane forests support Dysoxylum, Syzygium, Weinmannia, Canarium, and Astronidium. Cloud forest is found above 650 m with tree genera, such as Polyscias, Weinmannia, and Dysoxylum, as well as a few Cyathea plants.[4] The rarest vegetation community in Samoa is the upland swamp forest with only one area remaining.[5]
Threats
[edit]Since human arrival approximately 3,000 years ago, over 80 percent of the lowland rainforest in Samoa has been destroyed. Unregulated logging and land clearing for subsistence and commercial agriculture serve as the primary drivers of this ecological decline. On the heavily populated island of Upolu, nearly all accessible lowland, montane, and cloud forests have been entirely cleared. Environmental pressures were further aggravated by two severe cyclones in 1990 and 1991, which killed 53 percent of native forest trees[6]
Origins
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many of the native flora came from Southeast Asia and New Guinea.[7] There are some exceptions. Such as the Vaccinium whitmeei, a species of the Ericaceae family, which is endemic to Savai'i, which may had have origins from the temperate Americas, Rhizophora mangle, or Togo fafine, Which might of had came from South or North America, and the Gyrocarpus americanus.[8][9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Whistler, Art (January 2011). "The Rare Plants of Samoa" (PDF). The Little Design Company. Conservation International Pacific Islands Programme. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ^ Balick, Michael J. (2024-03-01). "Flora of Samoa: Flowering Plants". Brittonia. 76 (1): 83–83. doi:10.1007/s12228-024-09787-x. ISSN 1938-436X.
- ^ Goodale, Matt (2022-01-03). "NTBG completes the Flora of Samoa". National Tropical Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
- ^ a b "Samoan Tropical Moist Forests". One Earth. 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
- ^ "Priority Sites for Conservation in Samoa: Key Biodiversity Areas" (PDF). Conservation International - Pacific Islands Programme, Samoa Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ^ "Islands of Western Samoa and American Samoa in the Southern Pacific | Ecoregions | WWF". ecoregions.worldwildlife.org. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ^ "How did life get to Samoa?". 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
- ^ "Interesting facts about Samoa's biodiversity…". Samoa Conservation Society. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
- ^ Whistler, Arthur (2019). "Plants of Samoa: A unique but threatened flora" (PDF). Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
Further reading
[edit]- Whistler, W. Arthur (2022). Lorence, David H.; Wagner, Warren L. (eds.). Flora of Samoa: Flowering Plants. Kauai, Hawaii: National Tropical Botanical Garden. ISBN 978-0-915809-04-2.
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