limber caper

USVI Native Plant

Cynophalla flexuosa 

Cynophalla flexuosa at Brewers Bay on St. Thomas, USVI, June 17, 2020.

This sprawling woody plant is common in the coastal forest of St. Thomas.

 Its leaves vary in shape, but its flowers are rather distinctive. If you are observing the forest along the beach during the morning hours, you may notice the long filaments of the flower sticking out several centimeters beyond the greenish petals. Like other members of the Capparaceae family, the ovary is also suspended far from the petals on a long stalk (gynophore).

Inkberry

USVI Native Plant

Scaevola plumieri

Scaevola plumieri on Perseverance beach, St. Thomas, USVI, 12 Jan 2020

While not common in the Virgin Islands, this shrub is found on tropical beaches throughout Africa and the Americas. It is the only species of this genus native to the region. Notice the fan-like petal arrangement that is typical of the genus. Shrubs such as this inkberry provide food for native animals and help to stabilize and protect the shoreline. This shrub was still blooming when we returned to the beach in June.

Scaevola plumieri on Perseverance beach, St. Thomas, USVI, 12 Jan 2020