Endemic Plants
A special category of native species that live only in certain restricted geographic areas. Area could be a small region, an island, a large continent or even larger. However endemism is considered in terms of county boundaries for easy administration purposes. There is one endemic genera (Stemonoporus) in Sri Lanka while there are no plant families endemic to Sri Lanka. About 90% of our endemic plants are confined to the southwestern zone (mainly in the rain forests).
Calophyllum walkeri
Plants have played an important role in the development of medicines for curing many diseases throughout centuries of years. Due to the recent research studies, the molecular structures of 200 endemic plants of Sri Lanka have been identified by a group of researchers. They have chemically identified the compounds, molecular structures and elements of the plants by studying their bark, timber, fruits or flowers .These plants may hold a possible cure (complete or partial) for a disease, and is yet to be discovered.
LIST OF ENDEMIC PLANTS
