Clear finding: There are no known plant species that are strictly endemic to The Gambia.
Note that the label “Endemic Plants of the Gambia” means species found only inside Gambian borders and nowhere else. Understand that this strict criterion creates an empty result. The Gambia is small and sits inside a larger West African landscape. Most plants here also grow in neighboring Senegal and across the region. Treat borders as human lines that plants do not follow.
Know the technical reasons behind this outcome. Plant endemism usually occurs in isolated islands, mountain ranges, or unique habitats that do not extend beyond a country. The Gambia’s habitats — riverine forest, savanna and farmland — continue uninterrupted into adjacent countries. Also prefer checking authoritative sources (Kew, GBIF, IUCN, Flora of West Tropical Africa) for verification; these major databases do not list any species confined only to The Gambia. Expect that botanical surveys record regional, not strictly national, distributions.
Explore close alternatives and useful categories instead. Search for near‑endemics (species almost limited to the Senegambia region), noteworthy native species (for example, the iconic baobab, Adansonia digitata, which is widespread but culturally important), and West African or Upper Guinea endemics that occur nearby. Also look for endemic subspecies, rare riverine plants, or species with very limited Gambian populations. For practical use, focus on regional lists, conservation status, and where to see notable native plants rather than a strict country-only endemic list.
