Travel

When you think of Galapagos holidays, for many, the wildlife is what springs to mind – the giant tortoise, iguanas, dolphins, whales, birdlife and more. This comes from many images of people on a luxury cruise in the islands coming up close and personal with the wildlife during their daily activities.

However if you are more of a botanist than biologist, Galapagos holidays will also inspire your inner curiosity with nearly 600 plant species indigenous to the islands available to discover on shore visits each day of your luxury cruise.

One of the most interesting and easy to find plant species are the mangroves. There are four main types of mangroves to look out for when visiting the mangrove forests during Galapagos holidays. Some even have flowers, and these areas are important breeding and nursery grounds for many fish and nesting sites for the abundant birdlife.

The Red Mangrove is the most common species to see during your luxury cruise shore visits and is so named for its wood that has a reddish tint. You will see the plant near the low tide zone, or mixed with other species at higher elevations. Interestingly, due to its abundance and colouring, the wood is used for charcoal and tannins in leather working.

The leaves of the Black Mangrove have the highest salt tolerance. The trees can grow up to 65 feet and leaves are a narrow oval shape with leathery texture. These mangroves also grow a green bean shaped fruit which starts with clusters of yellow flowers.

The White Mangrove on the other hand is more like a shrub, found in areas that do not have frequent flooding. The small white flowers are quite pretty sitting close to the water.

Finally, the Button Mangrove is not a true mangrove at all, but is commonly found in higher mangrove forests so falls within this category. The purple fruit that grows from the plant’s green flowers is round in shape and resembles buttons (hence the plant’s name).

Other plants that are common to see in the coastal zones of the Galapagos islands are Beach Morning Glory, displaying some of the largest flowers on the islands; the SaltBush, a dense shrub that is perfect for frigatebird and pelican nesting; and Sesuviam, a plant with distinctive star shaped flowers and leaves that change from green to orange and purple depending on the season.

There are plenty of fascinating plants to keep a botanist enthralled for hours during a Galapagos holiday, and to make the most of it, many luxury cruise boats will have an onboard professional botanist or guide who can help you spot the different species, and answer all of your questions.