Thespesia grandiflora
Encyclopedia
Flor de Maga is the official national flower of Puerto Rico
. The tree from which it originates, the Maga tree (Thespesia grandiflora) is widely distributed throughout the island. Although originally endemic to the humid forest
s near San Juan
, (including El Yunque
) Puerto Rico, it has been recently introduced to the states of Florida
and Hawaii
, countries in the Caribbean
and South America
.
The flower is used as an ornamental plant, but the wood of the tree itself is valued elsewhere for its durable timber, which is used for furniture.
The Maga tree grows to a maximum height of 15 metres. It is grown for timber
and as an ornamental plant
. The flower itself is very beautiful and is sometimes called a hibiscus
in English, although it belongs to a different tribe, genus, and species from the true hibiscus.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The tree from which it originates, the Maga tree (Thespesia grandiflora) is widely distributed throughout the island. Although originally endemic to the humid forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s near San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, (including El Yunque
El Yunque
El Yunque may refer to:Mountains* El Yunque, Puerto Rico** El Yunque National Forest, formerly the Caribbean National Forest* El Yunque, Cuba* El Yunque, highest point on Robinson Crusoe Island, ChileOther...
) Puerto Rico, it has been recently introduced to the states of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, countries in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
The flower is used as an ornamental plant, but the wood of the tree itself is valued elsewhere for its durable timber, which is used for furniture.
The Maga tree grows to a maximum height of 15 metres. It is grown for timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
and as an ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
. The flower itself is very beautiful and is sometimes called a hibiscus
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
in English, although it belongs to a different tribe, genus, and species from the true hibiscus.
See also
- Flora of Puerto Rico
- List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico