Visiting New Caledonia, and discovering its abundant nature, is like having the privilege of going back in time millions of years when man did not exist and when the dinosaurs dominated the world.
Here in particular you can still find: Amborella the oldest plants on the planet going back 130 million years.
New Caledonia isolated and preserved ancient species of plants, of which contemporary flora – up to 80% endemic - is the heir, in particular in the mining massifs and rainforests. This explains the uniqueness of the Caledonian vegetation, rich in primitive groups, which some scientists call « fossiles vivants » (“living fossils").
On less than 20,000 km2, there are currently more than 3,380 endemic species, specific to New Caledonia and it is estimated that there are another 200 to 300 species to discover. However, rest assured: you do not need to be a botanist to enjoy this unbelievable wealth: you will encounter it during your travels, just open your eyes!
Impossible to miss, for example, is the presence and the slender silhouette of the columnar pine, a tree symbol of the territory, that adorns the shores of the Isle of Pines. The columnar pin is one of 13 araucaria species endemic to New Caledonia; there are only 19 known species on the entire planet!
The Palms are also one of the jewels of Caledonian nature. Apart from the coconut palm, the 38 known endemic species belong to 16 genus of which 15 are found nowhere else.
Look up toward the sky in the Parc des grandes fougères (the Park of Giant Ferns) in Sarraméa and admire the giant tree fern, which can exceed 35 meters in height!
Another landscape, another emblem: the niaouli is the tree of the New Caledonian savannah. It likes acid soil and water, but adapts to almost any situation even arid soils.
Carnivorous plants enjoy soil rich in minerals - nickel, cobalt, copper, chrome – and they remarkably prosper in vegetation adapted to this environment.
New Caledonia is also home to numerous medicinal plants and flowers used in traditional medicine and which are the subject of scientific research aimed at learning their curative secrets.
Endemic species
Some Examples
