WildBahamas-Exotics Flora

FLORA

EDIBLE and enticing EXOTICS

Historically, most people likely gave little thought to the ecological impact of introduced species, instead focusing on the benefits these organisms provided to their livelihoods, families, and the economy. Many introduced fruit species fall into this category.

Long before European settlement, the Lucayans (descendants of South American peoples) introduced crops such as Pineapple (Ananas comosus), Cassava (Manihot esculenta), Corn (Zea mays), and peppers (Capsicum spp) to The Bahamas. Other species of plants made their way to The Bahamas by European colonists and African slaves including Sea Island Cotton (Gossypium barbadense), Sugarcane (Saccharum sp.), Soursop (Annona muricata), Scarlet plum (Spondias purpurea), Hog Plum (Spondias mombin), Guinep (Melicoccus bijugatus), Pigeon Peas (Cajanus cajan), Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and others.

In 1799, plants were shipped from St. Vincent to The Bahamas to be part of a Botanical Gardens on New Providence, but the endeavor never came to fruition and the plants were distributed to persons who would take them. Some of the plants that came from the St. Vincent shipment included Indian Almond (Terminalia catappa), Mango (Mangifera indica), Fever grass (Cymbopogon sp.), Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis and which originally came from Tahiti), Ackee (Blighia sapida), and Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea). Many Bahamians consider a lot of these plants to be native, but they are, in fact, exotic. A well-known exotic plant is the Coconut Palm.

Indian Almond

Coconut Palm

The Coconut Palm, (Cocos nucifera) is a common, palm species found throughout The Bahamas. This species, however, is not native to the country or the region. The coconut palm is native to the Malay Indonesian region. They were in the New World prior to European exploration, being found on the Pacific side of Panama, North Columbia and Costa Rica.

Coconuts arrived in the Caribbean in 1549 by Diego Corenco, a former Pastor of Cape Verde, who brought the fruit to Puerto Rico.

They most likely came to The Bahamas during the Spanish Colonial Period (1539-1810). The Coconut is a staple food source across the Caribbean and is strongly tied to Caribbean Culture. Coconut water is used as a refreshing drink, and the meat is used in various dishes or eaten raw. The husk and shells are used to make ornaments, dolls, and other crafts. Animals such as bees, wasps, and nectivorous birds feed on the nectar from coconut palms when it is in inflorescence and birds such as the Endangered and endemic Bahama Oriole use the tree as a nesting site.

Coconut Palm growing on a seashore on Eleuthera

fact sheets

COMING SOON!

posters

COMING SOON!

photo gallery

resources

Berman, M.J. and Pearsall, D.M., 2020. Crop dispersal and Lucayan tool use: Investigating the creation of transported landscapes in the Central Bahamas through starch grain, phytolith, macrobotanical, and artifact studies. Journal of Field Archaeology

Danforth, S., and Kass, L.B. 2003. Economic plants introduced into The Bahamas in 1799.In Ninth Symposium. Gerace Research Center.

Leakey, C. and Roberts-Nkrumah, L.B., 2016. The introduction of the breadfruit [Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg] to the West Indies-The role of Sir Joseph Banks. Tropical Agriculture, 93.

http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/showarticle.asp?id=15

Zizumbo-Villarreal, D., 1996. History of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) in Mexico: 1539–1810. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 43, pp.505-515.