Mérida Bed and Breakfast Association

It’s a jungle out there!  Is it ever! 

Everywhere you look, from the mangroves that become scrub forests, and the low forests that become high rainforests, the Yucatan is alive with flora. 

And ever since the rise of the scientific age – since the beginning of the 19^th century – researchers have been flocking here for the flora.  Charles Millspaugh, for instance, an avid botanist and naturalist (although a physician by training), came to the Yucatan in the late 19^th century and assembled a fantastic collection of resins, oils, waxes, tannins, dyes, starches, sugars, medicinal plants, gums, timbers and specimens creating a fantastic collection comprised of more than 50,000 items which were showcased at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, and which now resides at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.

Want to follow in his footsteps and embark on a journey of discovery to enjoy the plants, flowers and orchids of the Yucatan?

You can.  There are specialized tour operators and itineraries that let you revel in our peninsula’s spectacular flora.

Shaving Brush Trees (English), Chak Kuyché (Maya), Amapola (Spanish), Bombax ellipticum Bombacaceae Kapok Family. This tree is native to Mexico and rare elsewhere. Amapola trees leaves have a joint stem that alternate in color from deep red wine when new to a deep green when mature.  The Amapola leaves shed prior flowering with beautiful and exotic flower that develop during spring from long cylindrical buds. Birds and bees love the sweet nectar of Amapola flowers.

Plumeria - Frangipani  Trees (English) Sac Nicte (Maya) Flor de Mayo (Spanish), Plumeria rubra, related to the Apocinaceae family, this tree is native to Mexico and portions of South America. This aromatic flowering tree is found in many tropical countries, since it was introduced by colonial powers around the world, so coveted was its perfume.  Plumeria trees bloom during springtime in Yucatan. Its flowers come in a variety of hues,  ranging from white, yellow, rose, and magenta.

African Tulip or Flame of the Forest Trees (English) Tulipan Chino (Spanish), Xukul Nicte (Maya) Spathodea campanulata, Spathodea is a monotypic genus species of the Bignoniaceae Family. It is native to tropical Africa, and was introduced to the Yucatan in 1960s as a rare flowering tree.  Today, the African Tulip, which is also known as the Flame or the Forest, is an ornamental tree common in tropical region around the world.  It’s a beautiful tree with crimson red flowers.  Its exotic deeply bright orange-red flowers have golden yellow edges that are visually stunning.  The flower cup holds rainwater and morning dew which is an immediate draw for hummingbirds, birds, and bats. The tree thrives in direct sunlight and it has spread throughout the peninsula.

Royal Poinciana Trees (English) Flamboyan Real (Spanish) Poinciana regia, Caesalpiniaceae Family. This tree is endemic to Madagascar, but it grows wild throughout the Yucatan.  (The vanilla orchid was taken to Madagascar and the Flamboyant tree was brought here by the French in the 19^th century.)  These stunningly beautiful trees are now a favorite ornamental trees.  With an orchid shaped deep orange-red flowers they are truly exquisite.  Its flowers grow in clusters, and the tree blooms in May and throughout the summer.

Orchid Tree (English) Arbol de las Orquídeas is Bauhinia variegata, is a native tree of India and China and a member of the enormous Fabaceae (Bean) Family. The showy, fragrant flowers, which are three or four inches in length (7-10 cm) bear five or six upward- arching stamens. When immature, the blossoms are white with a dark pink central spot, but with age flowers turn into deep shades of magenta, hues of lavender or purplish blue. The tree blooms at the end of the rainy season in late fall and eventually becomes heavy with flattish seed pods, foot-long legumes. Note the unusual shapes of the leaves, which are reminiscent of butterflies with rounded wings. Its flowers, which are edible, are often used in salads.

Yucatan Adventure, part of Chichen Services, offers a “Yucatan Flora: Our Love of Mother Nature” tour, which is among the most comprehensive and thorough for amateurs and botanists alike.  Click on the image to the left for more information.

Tropical Discovery showcases the Botanical Garden at the Hotel Hacienda Santa Rosa, one of the more magnificent places for flora in the peninsula. Click on the image to the left for more information.

NatureScapes offers tours that combine – naturally – bird watching and flora treks. Click on the image to the left for more information.

Yucatan Eco Adventure combines tours that combine treks, eco-tourism and flora tours. Click on the image to the left for more information.

In Xcaret, just south of Cancun, there is the renowned “Orchid House” with scores of dozens of exotic and rare orchids from all over the peninsula, and other parts of the world.  Click on the image to the left for more information.