The Flora of Sri Lanka

The flora of Sri Lanka means the plant life of Sri Lanka. Our country being a tropical one with plenty of rain and sunshine, we have an abundance of green life. The island almost throughout the year is covered by a green carpet grass. There are then, the herbs, bigger plants, trees, palms and the jungle giants.

The herbs and smaller plants form the category of medicinal plants and vegetables and even creepers. The bigger plants provide fruits, the palms yield food and drink and the giants of the jungle give wood for furniture and fuel. Some of Sri Lanka herbs are so rare that it is said many medicine men come to Sri Lanka for certain herbs found here, but absent even in the Himalayan hills.

With nearly every Sri Lanka meal, vegetable s come from the plants and creepers, Toddy and fruits come from the palms like the coconut, Palmyra and Jaggery palms. The giants of the jungle, some over 500 years old as ebony, satin, teak and mahogany etc. provide wood for furniture, some of which are exported.

Animal life has protection from our flora and the tall trees bring down the rain which otherwise would have passed over without giving the life-giving waters from the heavens above. The thousands of birds and myriads of insects find a safe shelter in, on, among and under our wide and varied flora.