Guava is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava Psidium guajava is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. The name guava is also given to some other species in the genus Psidium such as strawberry guava and to the pineapple guava, Feijoa sellowiana. In 2019, 55 million tonnes of guavas were produced worldwide, led by India with 45% of the total. Botanically, guavas are berries.
El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest, is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. While there are both temperate and tropical rainforests in other states and territories, it is the only tropical rainforest in the United States National Forest System and the United States Forest Service. El Yunque National Forest is located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains, encompassing more than 28,000 acres of land, making it the largest block of public land in Puerto Rico.
Psidium cattleyanum , commonly known as Cattley guava, strawberry guava or cherry guava, is a small tree in the Myrtaceae (myrtle) family. The species is named in honour of English horticulturist William Cattley. Its genus name Psidium comes from the Latin psidion, or "armlet." The red-fruited variety, P. cattleyanum var. cattleyanum, is commonly known as purple guava, red cattley guava, red strawberry guava and red cherry guava. The yellow-fruited variety, P. cattleyanum var. littorale is variously known as yellow cattley guava, yellow strawberry guava, yellow cherry guava, lemon guava and in Hawaii as waiawī. Although P. cattleyanum has select economic uses, it is considered the most invasive plant in Hawaii.
Auerodendron pauciflorum is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae. One English language common name is turtlefat. It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where it is known from only one population in Isabela. At the time the plant was federally listed as an endangered species by the United States in 1994, only ten individual plants were known to exist. By 1997, there were 19 known specimens.
Brunfelsia portoricensis, the Puerto Rico raintree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where it occurs in El Yunque National Forest.
Ilex sintenisii is a species of plant in the family Aquifoliaceae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Myrcia sintenisiana is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where it is limited to the Luquillo Mountains. It occurs in El Yunque National Forest in dwarf forest habitat on wet mountain ridges. Its common name is beruquillo.
Pleodendron macranthum (chupacallos) is a rare species of tree in the family Canellaceae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where there are only three tiny populations remaining. Two individual plants are located in El Yunque and 8 to 10 plants remain in Río Abajo State Forest. This tree is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Styrax portoricensis, locally known as palo de jazmin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Styracaceae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico. It is one of the rarest endemic trees of Puerto Rico and is known to occur only in the northeastern Luquillo Mountains and the north-central Cayey Mountains.
Ternstroemia subsessilis, the el yunque colorado, is a species of plant in the Pentaphylacaceae family. It is endemic to Puerto Rico. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Paul Ernst Emil Sintenis was a German botanist, pharmacist and important plant collector.
Zephyranthes puertoricensis, known commonly as the Puerto Rico zephyr lily, is a species of flowering plant in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. It is native to the West Indies, Panama, Colombia, Suriname and Venezuela. It is a member of low elevation grasslands communities and moist forest habitat.
Euphorbia rockii is a rare species of flowering plant in the euphorb family known by the common names Koolau Range sandmat and Rock's broomspurge. It is endemic to Oʻahu, Hawaii, where it is known only from the Koʻolau Mountains. There are 200 to 300 plants remaining. Like other Hawaiian euphorbs, this plant is known locally as ʻakoko.
Cornutia obovata is a rare species of tree in the mint family, and formerly considered a member of the verbena family. It is endemic to forested slopes in Puerto Rico, where its common names are capá jigüerilla, nigua, and palo de nigua. When it was added to the endangered species list of the United States in 1988 there were only seven individuals known to remain in the wild. By 1998 there were eight plants known. This is considered one population divided amongst a few locations in the mountain forests of the island.
Lepanthes eltoroensis is a species of orchid known by the common name Luquillo Mountain babyboot orchid. It is endemic to El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, growing primarily in the Luquillo Mountains. It is named for the El Toro Trail in the mountains. It was a federally listed endangered species of the United States from 1991 to 2021, when it was delisted due to recovery.
Schiedea kauaiensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name Kauai schiedea. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Kauai. It is threatened by the degradation and destruction of its habitat. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1996.
Psidium guineense is a species of guava.
Iris sintenisii is a species in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and in series Spuriae, with tall thin stems, violet-blue flowers and long grass-like leaves. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, from grass meadows parts of Europe, Russia, and Turkey. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Psidium amplexicaule, which is commonly known as mountain guava, is a species in the family Myrtaceae that is native to the Caribbean. It is rare in a moist limestone forest at 100–600 feet altitude on north coast of Puerto Rico. This plant can also be found on islands such as St. Thomas and St. John in the United States Virgin Islands and in Tortola and Virgin Gorda of the British Virgin Islands.
