https://www.wettropics.gov.au/
  • Flowering branch of tree in a rainforest.
    © WTMA

    Plants of the Wet Tropics

    The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area is one of the best places on Earth to explore the story of plant evolution and see living examples of ancient plant groups.

    Liverworts, mosses, lycophytes, ferns, gymnosperms and lycophytes first appeared more than 4,300 million years ago and still grow here today alongside modern flowering plants, making the region a living museum of plant life.

  • Aerial view of winding river through hilly rainforest.
    © WTMA/Michael Seebeck

    Why plants matter

    Plants are the foundation of life in the Wet Tropics and the world. They provide food and shelter for animals, help keep soils healthy, clean water, store carbon and produce the oxygen we breathe.

  • Indigenous youth with spear and body paint in a rainforest
    © WTMA/Brad Newton

    Cultural value

    For Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples, plants are also deeply connected to culture, providing traditional foods, medicines, materials and knowledge that have been passed down through generations.

    Protecting plant diversity helps protect both the natural and cultural values of the Wet Tropics.

Diversity and significance

The Wet Tropics is home to more than 3,800 plant species, including over 700 species found nowhere else in the world.

  • Wild banana tree in rainforest.
    © WTMA/Dan Metcalfe

    Millions of years in the making

    This remarkable diversity developed over millions of years. Stable climates, mountain refuges and cycles of rainforest expansion and contraction helped many ancient plants survive.

    Visit the Origin and evolution page to learn more about continental drift and its impact on diversity in the Wet Tropics.

  • Small red flower on leafy branch.
    © WTMA/Dan Metcalfe

    Ancient flowering plants

    The Wet Tropics contains one of the world's richest collections of ancient flowering plant groups, with 16 of the world’s 28 most ancient flowering plant lineages represented in the region.

    These ancient plants provide important clues about how modern flowering plants evolved and were one of the key reasons the Wet Tropics was recognised as a World Heritage Area.

The region contains the greatest diversity of ancient flowering plants anywhere on Earth.

  • Rainforest fruits displayed in separate piles on leaves.
    © WTMA/Steven Nowakowski

    Living cultural landscape

    For Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples, the rainforest is more than a collection of plants and animals. It is a living cultural landscape that reflects deep and continuing connections to Country, knowledge, culture and caring for the environment.

Learn more

  • Under view of large circular palm frond.
    © Campbell Clarke

    Endemic plants

    Discover the endemic plants of the Wet Tropics, including ancient rainforest species found nowhere else on Earth and why they are important to biodiversity and World Heritage.

  • Maintains covered in forest going to the horizon on a sunny day.
    © WTMA

    Plant evolution

    Explore the evolution of Wet Tropics plants, from ancient mosses and ferns to gymnosperms and flowering plants, and discover how these groups shape rainforest ecosystems.

  • Beach mangroves silhouetted against the sky at dusk, their form reflected in a tidal pool
    © WTMA

    Vegetation communities

    Explore the diverse vegetation communities of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, from rainforest and wet sclerophyll forests to woodlands, wetlands and mangroves. Learn how rainfall, terrain and soils shape the region’s distinctive plant communities and ecosystems.

  • View to the hinterland across undulating rainforest-clad hills
    © WTMA

    Wet Tropics vegetation mapping

    Explore detailed vegetation maps of the Wet Tropics bioregion, identifying 250 vegetation communities across the region. Download 1:50,000 vegetation maps and learn about the Wet Tropics vegetation.

Last updated: 13 Oct 2026