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Browse our collection of Costa Rican trees
107 species from 43 botanical families
Least ConcernSimarouba amara
The Aceituno or Paradise Tree is a fast-growing rainforest pioneer prized for its medicinal bark, lightweight timber, and edible oil-rich seeds. This versatile species is increasingly important for reforestation, agroforestry, and sustainable land management in tropical America.
Least ConcernPersea americana
The Avocado tree is one of the world's most important fruit trees, native to Central America and Mexico, prized for its nutritious fruit and valued in Costa Rican agriculture and home gardens.
Least ConcernPersea caerulea
The Aguacatillo, a wild avocado relative, is one of the most important food sources for the endangered Resplendent Quetzal. Its small, oil-rich fruits are essential for cloud forest wildlife throughout Costa Rica's highlands.
EndangeredCaryocar costaricense
The Ajo is an endangered emergent rainforest giant, one of the largest trees in Costa Rica's lowland forests. Its massive buttressed trunk and nutritious seeds make it ecologically important, while ongoing deforestation threatens its future.
Least ConcernLicania arborea
Alcornoque is a large native tree found throughout Costa Rica's forests, prized for its extremely durable wood and ecological importance. Its abundant fruits provide food for wildlife including tapirs, peccaries, and large birds, making it a keystone species in forest ecosystems.
Least ConcernDipteryx panamensis
The Almendro is a majestic emergent rainforest tree and the primary nesting and food source for the endangered Great Green Macaw, making it one of Costa Rica's most conservation-critical species.
Least ConcernTerminalia amazonia
The Amarillón is a towering emergent tree of the Central American rainforest, prized for its excellent timber and distinctive yellow-gold wood. One of the giants of the forest, it can exceed 60 meters in height.
Least ConcernAnnona reticulata
The Anona (Custard Apple or Bullock's Heart) is a small tropical fruit tree producing heart-shaped fruits with custard-like flesh. Native to the Caribbean and Central America, this relative of the guanábana and chirimoya produces sweet, creamy fruits that are eaten fresh or used in desserts. While less famous than its relatives, the anona is treasured by those who know it for its delicate sweetness and smooth texture.
Least ConcernOchroma pyramidale
Balsa is the world's lightest commercial wood and one of the fastest-growing trees on Earth. This pioneer species rockets to maturity in just 5-7 years, producing the buoyant timber used in model aircraft, surfboards, and wind turbine blades.
Least ConcernVochysia ferruginea
The Botarrama is one of Costa Rica's most successful reforestation species, a fast-growing pioneer that rapidly colonizes degraded lands. Known as Mayo in some regions, this tree produces beautiful orange-golden flowers and provides critical early forest structure.
Least ConcernTheobroma cacao
The Cacao tree is the source of chocolate, one of the world's most beloved foods. Native to the Americas, this understory rainforest tree has been cultivated for over 4,000 years and remains an important crop in Costa Rica's Caribbean lowlands.
Least ConcernChrysophyllum cainito
The Caimito or Star Apple is a beautiful tropical fruit tree renowned for its sweet, creamy purple or green fruits that reveal a star pattern when cut crosswise. With shimmering golden-bronze leaf undersides, this Caribbean native is both ornamental and delicious.
Least ConcernCostus spicatus
Caña Agria or Spiral Ginger is a remarkable tropical plant recognizable by its spiraling stem arrangement. While technically an herbaceous plant that can reach tree-like heights, this wild ginger relative has been used for centuries in Costa Rican traditional medicine for treating kidney and urinary problems, and its sour stems make refreshing drinks.
Least ConcernCassia fistula
The Caña Fístula, or Golden Shower Tree, produces cascading sprays of brilliant yellow flowers that transform it into living gold during the dry season—one of the most spectacular flowering displays in the tropical world.
Least ConcernDracaena fragrans
The Caña India or Corn Plant is one of the most recognizable and widely used trees in Costa Rican rural landscapes. Though native to Africa, this hardy plant has become an essential part of Costa Rican culture, serving as living fence posts throughout the country and producing sweet-scented flowers that perfume the night air.
EndangeredSwietenia macrophylla
The Big-leaf Mahogany is the most commercially important tropical hardwood in the Americas, prized for centuries for fine furniture and cabinetry. Listed on CITES Appendix II, it represents both the tragedy of overexploitation and hope for sustainable forestry.
Least ConcernCarapa guianensis
The Caobilla, also known as Andiroba or Crabwood, is a valuable rainforest tree producing high-quality timber similar to true mahogany, plus oil-rich seeds used in traditional medicine and cosmetics. This wetland-tolerant species is vital for both conservation and sustainable forestry.
Least ConcernMuntingia calabura
The Capulín, also known as Jamaica Cherry or Panama Berry, is one of the most ubiquitous pioneer trees in tropical America. This fast-growing small tree produces abundant tiny red berries that are sweet and beloved by children and birds alike. Found growing along roadsides, in disturbed areas, and even from cracks in sidewalks, the Capulín is a survivor that provides food and shade in the most challenging urban environments.
Least ConcernAverrhoa carambola
The Carambola (Star Fruit) is a distinctive tropical fruit tree that produces waxy, ribbed fruits which form a perfect five-pointed star when sliced. Originally from Southeast Asia, this small ornamental tree has become popular in Costa Rica for its attractive appearance and refreshing, mildly sweet-tart fruits used in drinks, salads, and garnishes.
Least ConcernCassia grandis
The Carao is one of Central America's most spectacular flowering trees, producing massive cascades of pink blossoms that earn it the name Pink Shower Tree. Native to dry and semi-deciduous forests from Mexico to South America, this legume has long been treasured for its ornamental beauty and its fruit's traditional medicinal use as an iron-rich blood tonic. Its presence signals the transition between dry and wet seasons.
Least ConcernAcacia pennatula
Carboncillo is a small to medium deciduous tree native to Costa Rica's dry forests and pastures. Named for its historical use as high-quality charcoal, this legume tree with feathery bipinnate leaves and creamy flower puffs provides valuable cattle fodder, fixes nitrogen in depleted soils, and creates the characteristic thorny silhouette of Guanacaste's pastoral landscapes.
Least ConcernPsidium friedrichsthalianum
The Cas (Costa Rican Guava) is a uniquely Costa Rican fruit tree that produces small, intensely tart green fruits prized for making one of the country's most beloved beverages. Unlike its sweeter cousin the common guava, the cas is rarely eaten fresh due to its sourness, but when blended with sugar and water, it transforms into a refreshing, fragrant juice that captures the essence of Costa Rican tropical flavor.
Least ConcernPrioria copaifera
The Cativo is a magnificent swamp-forest giant protected under Costa Rican law, thriving in the unique ecosystems where rivers meet the sea. Its towering presence in mangrove-adjacent forests makes it a keystone species for coastal biodiversity.
VulnerableCedrela odorata
The Cedro Amargo is one of the most valuable timber trees in the Americas, known for its fragrant, rot-resistant wood used in fine furniture, cigar boxes, and traditional crafts. Despite heavy exploitation, it remains an important species in Costa Rican forests.
Least ConcernCalophyllum brasiliense
Cedro María is a prized native timber tree found throughout Costa Rica's wet forests. Known for its beautiful reddish wood, this species thrives in swamps and waterlogged soils where few other trees can grow, making it ecologically important for wetland ecosystems.
Least ConcernCeiba pentandra
The Ceiba is one of the largest and most sacred trees of the American tropics, revered by the Maya as the World Tree connecting the underworld, earth, and heavens.
Least ConcernSamanea saman
The Cenízaro or Rain Tree is one of the most iconic shade trees of tropical America, famous for its massive spreading crown that can shelter an entire village plaza, its leaves that fold at night, and the sweet pulp of its curled seed pods eaten by livestock and wildlife.
Least ConcernSymphonia globulifera
Cerillo is a distinctive wetland specialist tree found in Costa Rica's swamps, flooded forests, and riverbanks. Famous for its brilliant red latex and stilt roots, this tree is an indicator of wet habitats and has traditional uses ranging from canoe-making to medicine.
Least ConcernVochysia guatemalensis
The Chancho Blanco is one of the fastest-growing native timber trees in Costa Rica, reaching harvestable size in just 12-15 years. This reforestation champion produces light-colored wood used in construction and is vital for ecosystem restoration.
Critically EndangeredPodocarpus costaricensis
The Ciprecillo is Costa Rica's most endangered endemic tree—a critically endangered conifer known from only four locations in the world, all within Costa Rica. This living fossil represents millions of years of evolution and stands on the brink of extinction.
Least ConcernCupressus lusitanica
The Ciprés (Mexican Cypress or Cedar of Goa) is a tall, elegant conifer from the highlands of Mexico and Central America that has become one of Costa Rica's most important plantation trees. Its aromatic, rot-resistant wood and rapid growth have made it the tree of choice for timber plantations, windbreaks, and living fences throughout the Central Valley and mountain regions. Whether you see it as rows of dark green columns sheltering coffee farms or as the timber framing homes across the country, the Ciprés has become inseparable from Costa Rica's highland landscape.
Least ConcernCocos nucifera
The Coconut Palm is one of the world's most versatile and economically important trees, found along Costa Rica's Caribbean and Pacific coasts, providing food, drink, oil, fiber, and building materials.
Critically EndangeredDalbergia retusa
The Cocobolo is one of the world's most valuable and beautiful hardwoods, a stunning rosewood species with spectacular orange, red, and black grain patterns that has been prized by craftsmen for centuries—and is now critically endangered from overexploitation.
Least ConcernClusia rosea
The Copey or Autograph Tree is a remarkable evergreen known for its ability to start life as an epiphyte before becoming a sturdy free-standing tree. Famous for leaves that can be inscribed with messages, this versatile tree thrives from beaches to cloud forests and plays important ecological roles throughout Costa Rica.
Least ConcernTabebuia impetiginosa
The Cortez Negro is one of Costa Rica's most spectacular flowering trees, producing clouds of vibrant pink-purple blossoms that blanket the tree when leafless during the dry season.
Least ConcernHandroanthus ochraceus
The Corteza Amarilla is one of Costa Rica's most spectacular flowering trees, erupting in brilliant golden-yellow blossoms during the dry season that blanket entire hillsides in color.
Least ConcernAcrocomia aculeata
The Coyol is a distinctively spiny palm native to Costa Rica's dry and seasonal forests, famous for its hard-shelled edible fruits and the traditional fermented wine made from its sap. This resilient palm is deeply woven into Costa Rican rural culture and provides food for both wildlife and humans.
Near ThreatenedPlatymiscium pinnatum
The Cristóbal is a magnificent Central American hardwood tree prized for its exceptionally beautiful and durable wood. Known as 'Quira' or 'Macacauba,' it produces one of the finest cabinet woods in the region.
Least ConcernAnacardium excelsum
The Espavel is a majestic emergent tree of Costa Rica's riparian forests, reaching heights of 50 meters. A close relative of the cashew, it produces edible nuts prized by wildlife and humans alike.
Least ConcernArtocarpus altilis
The Breadfruit tree is a tropical species producing starchy, nutritious fruit that can be prepared like bread or potatoes. Introduced from the Pacific Islands, it has become an important food source along Costa Rica's Caribbean coast.
VulnerableVirola koschnyi
The Fruta Dorada (Golden Fruit tree) is an important rainforest canopy tree in the nutmeg family. Its bright red fruit with golden-yellow arils provides critical food for toucans, monkeys, and other wildlife, while its soft wood has some commercial value.
Least ConcernSchizolobium parahyba
The Gallinazo is one of the fastest-growing trees in the neotropics, capable of reaching 30 meters in just 5-7 years. This spectacular pioneer species produces masses of bright yellow flowers and is widely used in reforestation and agroforestry systems throughout Costa Rica.
Least ConcernPentaclethra macroloba
The Gavilán is a keystone species of Costa Rica's Caribbean lowland rainforests, dominant in many areas and critically important for nitrogen fixation and ecosystem function. Its twisted seed pods explode dramatically, and its presence shapes the structure of wet forest communities throughout the Atlantic slope.
Least ConcernGmelina arborea
Gmelina or Melina is one of the fastest-growing tropical trees, widely planted in Costa Rica for pulp, plywood, and light construction. Originally from South Asia, this versatile species can produce harvestable timber in as little as 5-8 years.
Least ConcernInga edulis
The Guaba or Ice Cream Bean is a beloved leguminous tree native to the American tropics, famous for its sweet, cotton-like edible seed pods. Beyond its delicious fruit, this remarkable tree is one of the most important species for agroforestry and shade-grown coffee systems, enriching soils through nitrogen fixation while providing food for people and wildlife.
Least ConcernDiphysa americana
The Guachipelín is a beloved dry forest tree of Guanacaste, famous for its brilliant yellow flowers that transform hillsides into golden seas during the dry season, and its durable wood prized for fence posts.
Least ConcernGuazuma ulmifolia
Guácimo is a fast-growing, highly adaptable tree found throughout Costa Rica's lowlands and middle elevations. Valued for its sweet, warty fruits eaten by livestock and wildlife, its fibrous bark, and its ability to thrive in degraded areas, this tree is an ecological workhorse and important component of traditional agroforestry systems.
Least ConcernAnnona muricata
The Guanábana (Soursop) is one of the most distinctive tropical fruit trees, producing large, spiny green fruits with creamy white flesh that has an unforgettable sweet-sour flavor. Native to the Caribbean and Central America, this small tree is widely cultivated in Costa Rica for its delicious fruit used in juices, ice creams, and traditional medicine. Its unique combination of citrusy, strawberry-like flavors makes it a beloved ingredient in tropical beverages.
Least ConcernEnterolobium cyclocarpum
The Guanacaste tree is Costa Rica's national tree, celebrated for its massive umbrella-shaped crown, distinctive ear-shaped seed pods, and deep cultural significance across Central America.
Least ConcernHymenaea courbaril
The Guapinol, or Jatobá, is a magnificent legume tree producing amber-like resin, hard durable wood, and stinky but nutritious seed pods that have sustained humans for millennia. Its resin preserves ancient insects as prehistoric amber.
Least ConcernCecropia obtusifolia
The Guarumo, or Trumpet Tree, is one of tropical America's most distinctive pioneer trees—instantly recognizable by its umbrella-like palmate leaves, hollow stems housing fierce Azteca ants, and silvery undersides that flash in the wind. A symbol of forest regeneration.
Least ConcernPsidium guajava
The Guayabo, or Guava Tree, is one of the most widespread and beloved fruit trees in the American tropics. Though its origins are debated between Mexico and South America, this small tree has spread throughout tropical regions worldwide. Its fragrant fruit—with distinctive pink or white flesh and abundant seeds—is eaten fresh, made into juices, pastes, and jellies, and provides essential nutrition to both humans and wildlife. The Guayabo exemplifies how a native tropical species can become a global fruit.
EndangeredGuaiacum sanctum
Guayacán Real, or Holywood Lignum Vitae, produces one of the densest and hardest woods on Earth—so heavy it sinks in water. This slow-growing tree with stunning blue flowers is listed under CITES due to centuries of overexploitation for its self-lubricating timber.
Least ConcernFicus insipida
The Higuerón is one of Costa Rica's most ecologically important trees, a giant strangler fig that produces abundant fruit year-round, supporting more wildlife species than perhaps any other tree in the neotropics.
Least ConcernPiper auritum
Hoja Santa (Sacred Leaf) is a large-leafed aromatic shrub or small tree in the pepper family, widely cultivated throughout Mesoamerica for its distinctive anise-scented leaves used in traditional cuisine and medicine. This fast-growing species thrives in shade and humid conditions.
Least ConcernChrysobalanus icaco
The Icaco, also known as Cocoplum or Paradise Plum, is a versatile coastal shrub or small tree native to tropical America's shorelines. Its round fruits, ranging from white to pink to dark purple, are sweet and eaten fresh or made into preserves. Highly salt-tolerant, the Icaco thrives where few other fruit trees can survive, making it an important food source in coastal communities.
Least ConcernBursera simaruba
Indio Desnudo, or the Gumbo-Limbo Tree, is instantly recognizable by its striking peeling reddish-bronze bark that exposes smooth green photosynthetic layers beneath—a drought-adaptation strategy that makes it one of the most distinctive and important trees in Central American dry forests and coastal areas.
Least ConcernSapindus saponaria
The Jaboncillo (Soapberry or Western Soapberry) is nature's own soap dispenser. This elegant medium-sized tree produces round golden fruits that contain saponins—natural surfactants that foam in water just like soap. Indigenous peoples and rural communities have used these fruits to wash clothes, hair, and bodies for millennia, long before synthetic detergents existed. Native from the southern United States to Argentina, the Jaboncillo thrives in Costa Rica's dry Pacific regions. Beyond its practical cleaning uses, the tree has beautiful pinnate leaves, provides wildlife food, and offers an increasingly popular eco-friendly alternative to chemical detergents. The hard black seeds inside the fruits have been used as beads, buttons, and in traditional jewelry throughout the Americas.
Least ConcernJacaranda mimosifolia
The Jacaranda, one of the world's most beautiful flowering trees, blankets itself in ethereal blue-purple blossoms during dry season, transforming urban landscapes and parks across Costa Rica into dreamlike scenes that have made it a global symbol of tropical spring.
Least ConcernHura crepitans
The Javillo, or Sandbox Tree, is one of the most dramatic trees in the Neotropics—covered in menacing conical spines, armed with caustic toxic sap, and producing explosive seed pods that launch seeds up to 100 meters with a loud bang, earning it the nickname 'Dynamite Tree.'
Least ConcernCrescentia alata
The Jícaro (Mexican Calabash or Gourd Tree) is one of the most distinctive trees of Central America's dry forests. Its hard-shelled, spherical fruits have been used for millennia to make bowls, cups, and containers—the original biodegradable dishware of Mesoamerica. Native to the region from Mexico through Costa Rica, this small, spreading tree with its peculiar cauliflorous flowers and functional fruits represents a perfect example of how indigenous peoples integrated trees into their daily lives. In rural Costa Rica, the tradition continues as jícaras are still carved into drinking vessels and decorative crafts.
Least ConcernSpondias mombin
The Jobo, or Yellow Mombin, is a beloved tropical fruit tree producing tart, aromatic yellow plums that have been cultivated since pre-Columbian times. Its easy propagation from large cuttings makes it a cornerstone of living fence systems.
Least ConcernSpondias purpurea
The Jocote, or Spanish Plum, is one of Costa Rica's most beloved fruit trees—a small to medium tree that produces abundant crops of tangy-sweet fruits ranging from green to deep purple. An integral part of the country's culture, jocotes mark the seasons and appear in everything from fresh snacks to traditional drinks.
Least ConcernCordia alliodora
Laurel is one of the most commercially valuable native timber trees in Central America—a fast-growing pioneer that produces excellent furniture-grade wood and integrates perfectly into coffee and cacao agroforestry systems, making it both ecologically important and economically vital.
VulnerableCordia megalantha
The Laurel Negro is one of Costa Rica's most valuable native timber trees, producing dense, dark heartwood prized for fine furniture and construction. This Pacific slope species offers premium quality wood rivaling imported hardwoods.
VulnerableBrosimum utile
The Lechoso, also known as Cow Tree or Sande, is a magnificent rainforest giant famous for its edible milky latex and valuable timber. This important tree provides sustenance for wildlife and has been used by indigenous peoples for centuries.
Least ConcernGliricidia sepium
Madero Negro is one of Central America's most versatile trees—a fast-growing nitrogen-fixer that serves as living fences, shade for coffee and cacao, fodder for livestock, green manure, and traditional medicine, all while producing stunning pink flower displays that carpet the landscape during dry season.
Least ConcernCalycophyllum candidissimum
The Madroño is one of the most spectacular flowering trees of Central America's dry forests. When this medium-sized tree blooms during the dry season, it covers itself so completely with small white flowers that the entire crown appears draped in snow—an astonishing sight in the tropical heat. Native from Mexico through Central America, the Madroño has been chosen as the national tree of Nicaragua. In Costa Rica's Guanacaste Province, the flowering Madroño transforms the dry forest landscape into something magical, while its extremely dense, hard wood has made it valuable for tool handles, construction, and traditional crafts.
Near ThreatenedMagnolia poasana
The Magnolia poasana is a beautiful cloud forest tree native to Costa Rica's highlands, named after Poás Volcano. With its fragrant white flowers and ancient lineage, this near-threatened species represents one of the most primitive flowering plant families on Earth.
Least ConcernMelicoccus bijugatus
The Mamón (Spanish Lime or Genip) is a beloved tropical fruit tree that produces clusters of small, round green fruits with a thin brittle shell encasing translucent, salmon-pink gelatinous flesh around a large seed. Native to the Caribbean and northern South America, this handsome shade tree is found throughout Costa Rica, where its sweet-tart fruits are a popular street snack during the summer months.
Least ConcernNephelium lappaceum
The Mamón Chino (Rambutan) is a striking Southeast Asian fruit tree that produces clusters of hairy red fruits with sweet, translucent white flesh. Though native to Malaysia and Indonesia, this relative of the lychee has thrived in Costa Rica's Caribbean lowlands since the early 20th century, becoming one of the country's most distinctive seasonal fruits. The name 'mamón chino' (Chinese mamón) reflects both its Asian origin and its similarity to the native Spanish lime.
Not EvaluatedMangifera indica
The Mango is the 'King of Fruits' and one of the most economically important tropical fruit trees worldwide. Though originally from South Asia, this magnificent tree has become an integral part of Costa Rican culture and landscape, providing delicious fruit, welcome shade, and essential wildlife food.
VulnerableMinquartia guianensis
The Manú is one of Costa Rica's most valuable hardwood trees, producing incredibly dense, durable timber that has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples. This slow-growing rainforest giant is becoming increasingly rare due to logging pressure.
Least ConcernSyzygium malaccense
The Manzana de Agua, or Malay Apple, is a beautiful tropical fruit tree known for its stunning red flowers and bell-shaped, pink-red fruits with crisp, watery flesh. Introduced from Southeast Asia, this ornamental and edible tree has become a beloved feature of Costa Rican gardens and farms.
Not EvaluatedAnacardium occidentale
The Cashew or Marañón is one of the world's most valuable nut-producing trees, native to northeastern Brazil but widely cultivated across the tropics. This fascinating tree produces its famous kidney-shaped nuts attached to a colorful false fruit (cashew apple), making it botanically unique and economically essential.
Least ConcernFicus spp.
The Matapalos, or Strangler Figs, are among the most fascinating and ecologically important trees in Costa Rica's forests. Beginning life as epiphytes high in the canopy, these remarkable Ficus species send roots earthward that eventually envelope and kill their host tree, leaving a hollow lattice trunk. Their figs feed more wildlife species than perhaps any other tree group in the tropics, making them true keystones of forest ecosystems.
Least ConcernMaclura tinctoria
The Mora (Dyer's Mulberry or Fustic) is a historically important tree whose bright yellow heartwood was once one of the most valuable natural dyes in the world. Native from Mexico through South America, this medium-sized tree in the mulberry family produces wood that yields a brilliant golden-yellow dye that was traded across the Atlantic for centuries. In Costa Rica, the Mora grows throughout lowland forests and disturbed areas, its thorny branches and milky sap marking it as a member of the Moraceae family while its golden heartwood reveals its special nature.
Least ConcernCordia collococca
Muñeco is a native Costa Rican tree prized for its wildlife value, producing abundant small fruits that feed dozens of bird species. This medium-sized tree with attractive white flowers is found throughout the country's lowland forests and is increasingly planted in ecological restoration projects.
Least ConcernByrsonima crassifolia
The Nance is a small tree or shrub native from Mexico to the Amazon, producing masses of small yellow fruits with a distinctive, unforgettable flavor. Beloved throughout Central America, especially Costa Rica's Guanacaste region, the Nance fruit is eaten fresh, made into beverages, or preserved in syrup and alcohol—a true taste of tropical tradition.
VulnerablePeltogyne purpurea
The Nazareno, or Purpleheart, is a magnificent rainforest tree prized for producing one of the world's most striking timbers—wood that turns a vivid, deep purple when exposed to light. This Costa Rican native is a conservation priority species and a symbol of the country's precious old-growth forests.
Least ConcernManilkara zapota
The Níspero or Sapodilla is the tree that gave the world chewing gum. Its milky latex, called chicle, fueled a major industry for over a century, while its delicious brown fruit with its caramel-like sweetness remains a tropical treasure.
Least ConcernBrosimum alicastrum
The Ojoche or Breadnut is a magnificent rainforest tree that sustained ancient Maya civilization, producing nutritious seeds that can substitute for corn and wheat—a forgotten superfood now being rediscovered for food security in the face of climate change.
EndangeredLecythis ampla
The Olla de Mono (Monkey Pot Tree) is an endangered rainforest giant related to the Brazil nut, producing spectacular pot-shaped fruits that have fascinated naturalists for centuries. Its valuable timber and edible seeds have led to severe overexploitation.
Least ConcernCampnosperma panamense
The Orey is a distinctive wetland tree of Central American swamp forests, recognized by its stilt roots and tolerance for flooded conditions. An important timber species that thrives where few other trees can grow.
Least ConcernRoystonea regia
The Royal Palm is one of the most majestic palms in the world, instantly recognizable by its smooth gray trunk with a distinctive green crownshaft and elegant arching fronds. While native to Cuba and surrounding areas, it has become one of the most iconic ornamental palms planted throughout Costa Rica, gracing boulevards, parks, and estates with tropical elegance.
Least ConcernSterculia apetala
The Panamá tree is a majestic giant of Central American dry forests, growing to impressive heights with a massive buttressed trunk. This iconic species produces distinctive spiny fruit pods and provides critical habitat for wildlife, including macaws that nest in its hollow branches.
Least ConcernCoccoloba caracasana
The Papaturro is a distinctive Neotropical tree with large, nearly round leaves and clusters of grape-like fruits. A relative of the famous sea grape, this species thrives in Costa Rica's dry forests and disturbed areas, providing food for wildlife and a unique presence in the landscape.
Not EvaluatedCarica papaya
The Papaya is one of the most important tropical fruit trees, producing delicious orange-fleshed fruits year-round. Though not native, it has become naturalized throughout Costa Rica and is essential for both nutrition and traditional medicine.
Least ConcernBactris gasipaes
The Pejibaye or Peach Palm is the only palm domesticated for its fruit in the Americas. This spiny palm produces clusters of nutritious orange fruits that have been a staple food in Costa Rica for thousands of years, and its heart of palm is considered among the finest in the world.
Not EvaluatedHyeronima alchorneoides
Pilón is one of Costa Rica's most dependable native hardwoods, valued for its exceptional durability, structural reliability, and quiet elegance in woodworking.
Least ConcernHylocereus costaricensis
The Pitahaya, commonly known as Dragon Fruit, is a spectacular climbing cactus native to Costa Rica's forests. Unlike desert cacti, this species thrives in humid tropical conditions, climbing trees with aerial roots and producing some of the most visually stunning fruits in the world. The bright magenta fruits with dragon-like scales contain sweet, seed-speckled flesh that has become increasingly popular worldwide.
EndangeredPachira quinata
The Pochote is an iconic dry forest giant covered in dramatic defensive spines, a deciduous tree that drops its leaves to reveal a spectacular silhouette and produces valuable kapok fibers and rot-resistant timber prized since pre-Columbian times.
Least ConcernSyzygium jambos
The Pomarrosa, or Rose Apple, is a beautiful evergreen tree introduced to Costa Rica from Southeast Asia, now widely naturalized throughout the country. Famous for its fragrant yellow fruits that taste and smell of roses, this ornamental shade tree has become an integral part of Costa Rican gardens and landscapes. The crisp, aromatic fruits are refreshing on hot days and evoke memories for many Costa Ricans.
Least ConcernErythrina poeppigiana
The Poró is a magnificent flowering tree famous for its brilliant orange-red blossoms that paint Costa Rican landscapes each dry season, essential as a shade tree in traditional coffee cultivation.
Least ConcernTabebuia rosea
The Roble de Sabana is Costa Rica's most widespread and beloved flowering tree, painting landscapes in delicate pink each dry season and serving as the national tree of El Salvador.
Not EvaluatedQuercus spp.
The Highland Oaks of Costa Rica are magnificent trees that dominate the cloud forests and high mountain regions. Several species of Quercus create some of the country's most impressive and ecologically important forests.
Least ConcernAstronium graveolens
The Ron Ron is one of Costa Rica's finest hardwoods, known for its stunning figured grain, exceptional durability, and resistance to decay. Its beautiful wood rivals rosewood and has been used for premium furniture and flooring.
VulnerablePterocarpus officinalis
The Sangrillo is a magnificent wetland tree of Caribbean coastal forests, famous for its dramatic buttress roots and blood-red sap. This nitrogen-fixing giant creates critical habitat in seasonally flooded forests.
Least ConcernZygia longifolia
The Sotacaballo is a quintessential Costa Rican riverbank tree, recognized by its dramatically leaning trunk over water and delicate white powder-puff flowers that attract countless pollinators.
VulnerableTerminalia oblonga
Surá is a majestic emergent tree of Costa Rica's rainforests, renowned for its superb construction timber and distinctive buttressed trunk. This canopy giant plays a vital ecological role while providing one of the country's most valued hardwoods.
Least ConcernTamarindus indica
The Tamarind is a magnificent tropical legume tree originally from Africa, now beloved throughout the tropics for its tangy-sweet pods. In Costa Rica, this stately tree graces parks, farms, and roadsides, while its sour pulp is essential for refreshing drinks, candies, and traditional recipes.
Least ConcernCroton draco
The Targuá, or Dragon's Blood Tree, is a remarkable pioneer species known for its brilliant red sap used in traditional medicine throughout Costa Rica. This fast-growing tree quickly colonizes disturbed areas and forest edges.
EndangeredTectona grandis
Teak is one of the world's most valuable and sought-after hardwoods, widely planted in Costa Rica for its exceptional durability, natural oil content, and beautiful golden-brown color. Originally from Southeast Asia, it has become a major plantation species throughout the tropics.
Near ThreatenedSideroxylon capiri
The Tempisque is a premier dry forest hardwood of the Central American Pacific slope, with extremely dense and durable wood prized since pre-Columbian times. This deciduous giant sheds its leaves in the dry season, revealing a massive architecture of spreading branches, and produces sweet fruits beloved by wildlife. The tree gives its name to the Tempisque River basin, one of Costa Rica's most important watersheds.
Least ConcernSapium glandulosum
Yos is a fast-growing pioneer tree of Costa Rica's forests, recognizable by its milky latex and distinctive gland-bearing leaf stalks. This widespread species plays a vital role in forest succession and provides food for countless bird species through its abundant seeds.
Least ConcernHieronyma oblonga
Zapatero is an important native timber tree found in Costa Rica's wet forests. Known for its hard, durable wood and distinctive red inner bark, this species grows in both lowland and mid-elevation forests and is valued for construction and traditional uses.
Least ConcernPouteria sapota
The Zapote (Mamey Sapote) is one of the most prized fruit trees of the Central American tropics. Native from Mexico through Central America, this handsome tree produces large fruits with luxurious salmon-pink to reddish flesh that has been described as having hints of sweet potato, pumpkin, and honey. In Costa Rica, the zapote is cherished as a traditional fruit tree, found in patios and farms throughout the lowlands. Its creamy, nutrition-rich flesh is eaten fresh or made into batidos (milkshakes) that rank among the country's most beloved beverages.