Perennial, creeping vine. Grows on the upper parts of beaches, often covering large areas, and endures salted air. It is a primary sand stabilizer, being one of the first plants to colonize the dune (pioneer plant). The stems are often several meters in length, rooting at the nodes, glabrous. It has pink petals with a darker center.

Pantropical: Found on the sandy shores of the tropical Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

No known.

It is one of the most common and most widely distributed salt tolerant plants and provides one of the best-known examples of oceanic dispersal. Its seeds float and are unaffected by saltwater.

Small tree, up to 15 m tall. Dioecious (trees either male or female). Pollinators such as bees commonly visit the flowers. Fruit is a small dark capsule.

Common in mangrove swamps from Bangladesh, India, Australia as well as on the shores of the Philippine and Pacific Islands.

No known.

The milky latex is very poisonous and powerfully irritant, which is not unusual in milky species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. Contact with skin causes irritation and rapid blistering; slight contact with eyes can cause temporary blindness. Even the smoke from the burning wood is poisonous and can harm the eyes.

Native probably to East Asia, widely grown as an ornamental plant in the tropics and subtropics. It is not known in the wild, so that its native distribution is uncertain, an origin in some part of tropical east Asia is likely.

Chinese hibiscus is a sweet, astringent, cooling herb that checks bleeding, soothes irritated tissues and relaxes spasms.
The flowers are aphrodisiac, demulcent, emmenagogue, emollient and refrigerant.
They are used internally in the treatment of excessive and painful menstruation, cystitis, venereal diseases, feverish illnesses, bronchial catarrh, coughs and to promote hair growth.
An infusion of the flowers is given as a cooling drink to ill people.
The leaves are anodyne, aperient, emollient and laxative.
A decoction is used as a lotion in the treatment of fevers.
A preparation from the leaves is used to treat postpartum relapse sickness, to treat boils, sores and inflammations.
The leaves and flowers are beaten into a paste and poulticed onto cancerous swellings and mumps.
The flowers are used in the treatment of carbuncles, mumps, fever and sores.
The root is a good source of mucilage and is used as a substitute for Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) in the treatment of coughs and colds.
A decoction of the root is used to treat sore eyes.
A paste made from the root is used in the treatment of venereal diseases.

The flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis are edible and are used in salads in the Pacific Islands.

Small, evergreen tree. Seeds edible, sold in local markets, eaten raw or cooked, with a flavor like raw peanuts. Sometimes cultivated in home gardens and around villages.

Native to Fiji.

No known.

Cut nut is related (same family) to the cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis).

Rhizophora species generally live in intertidal zones which are inundated daily by the ocean. They exhibit a number of adaptations to this environments, including “pneumatophores” that elevate the plants above the water and allow them to respire oxygen even while their lower roots are submerged, and a cytological molecular “pump-mechanism” that allows them to remove excess salts from their cells.

Mangroves are found in subtropical and tropical areas in both hemispheres. They thrive on coastlines in brackish water and in swampy salt marshes.

No known.

The generic name is derived from the Greek words “rhiza” (meaning “root”) and “phoros” (meaning “bearing”), referring to the stilt-roots.

Small tree, growing up to 6 m. Aromatic leaves, pinnate, with 11-21 leaflets, each leaflet 2-4 cm long. Small white flowers which can self-pollinate. Fruit is a small, black drupe containing a single, large seed. The pulp is edible, with a sweet flavor.

Native to the Indian subcontinent. It can be found growing wild throughout the country, in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Commercial plantations have been established in India and more recently in Australia

Curry leaf contains several medically active constituents including a glycoside called koenigin, an essential oil and tannins.
It is a warming, strongly aromatic herb that improves appetite and digestion.
The leaves, roots and bark can all be used internally in the treatment of digestive problems.
It has been shown that the leaves increase digestive secretions and relieve nausea, indigestion and vomiting.
The leaves can be used internally in treating constipation, colic and diarrhoea.
The leaves are used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery.
The leaves can be applied externally as a poultice to treat burns and wounds.
The leaves are harvested as required and used fresh.
The roots and bark are harvested as required and can be used fresh or dried.
The juice of the fruit mixed with lime juice (Citrus aurantiifolia) is applied to soothe insect bites and stings.
A paste made from the bark is applied to the bites of poisonous insects and other animals.

The leaves of the Curry tree are used in many dishes in the Indian subcontinent and in SE-Asia, especially in curries.

Tree, 15-25 m tall, with a large canopy. Leaves alternate. Flowers in clusters: white, purple and pink, blossoming throughout the year. The tree is well adapted to intense heat, sunlight and droughts. Root nodules promote nitrogen fixation (typical for Fabaceae – the bean family).

Native to eastern and tropical Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands

No known.

The seed oil has been found to be useful in diesel generators and is being explored in hundreds of projects throughout India and the third world as feedstock for biodiesel.

Perennial climbing tree, up to 12 m tall. Although it produces true leaves as a seedling, like most members of this section of the genus, the mature plant does not have true leaves but has leaf-like flattened stems called phyllodes. The Tatakia tree is abundant along sandy beaches and on the inner edges of mangrove swamps. It is never found far from the sea.

Native to islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. It is also found in Argentina.

The bark of all Acacia species contains greater or lesser quantities of tannins and are astringent. Astringents are often used medicinally – taken internally, for example. they are used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery and can also be helpful in cases of internal bleeding. Applied externally, often as a wash, they are used to treat wounds and other skin problems, haemorrhoids, perspiring feet, some eye problems, as a mouth wash etc.
Many Acacia trees also yield greater or lesser quantities of a gum from the trunk and stems. This is sometimes taken internally in the treatment of diarrhoea and haemorrhoids.

The tree is used as a toxin in fishing. It incapacitates the fish, but it is apparently not harmful to people.

Perennial, tropical plant. Primarily grown as a root vegetable for its edible, starchy corm. Leaves up to 40×35 cm and sprout from the rhizome, dark green above and light green beneath, highly water-repellent. Taro is one of few crops (along with rice and lotus) that can be grown under flooded conditions.

Native to Southern India and Southeast Asia but is widely naturalized in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Taro corms are a food staple in African, Oceanic and South Asian cultures.

The plant is antibacterial and hypotensive.
A decoction of the leaves is drunk to promote menstruation.
A decoction, together with some parts of other plants, is taken to relieve stomach problems and to treat cysts.
In New Guinea, the leaves are heated over a fire and are applied as a poultice to boils.
The sap of the leaf stalk is used in treating conjunctivitis
The scraped stem, together with some parts of other plants, is used to create an appetite.
The plant is used to treat wounds.

Taro is believed to have been one of the earliest cultivated plants.

Rhizomatous, evergreen, perennial herb, up to 4.5 m tall. Gigantic leaves (up to 180 x 120 cm), arrow-shaped at their bases and stand upright, pointing skyward (unlike the leaves of Colocasia which droop and point toward the ground). Flowers consist of a yellowish-green spathe and spadix. The plant performs best in part shade in organically rich, moist to wet soils.

Native to the rainforests from Borneo (Malaysia) to Queensland (Australia). It has long been cultivated on many Pacific Islands and elsewhere in the tropics.

No known.

The giant, heart-shaped leaves are used to drink from or make impromptu umbrellas and also to cover the food placed in Fijian ground ovens called “lovo”.