Garden plants for Nigeria
81 plants that appear on garden plant lists for Nigeria: vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers, shrubs and trees that gardeners there commonly grow, native or introduced. Each links to a growing guide with spacing, sun, water, hardiness, toxicity and sources.
Nigeria spans more than one climate. Being on this list does not mean a plant suits your own site: check its hardiness and water needs against your local conditions, and avoid plants listed as invasive in your area.
Plan a garden with these plants →
Vegetables (30)
- African cabbage (spider flower vegetable) Gynandropsis gynandra
- African eggplant (garden egg) Solanum aethiopicum
- African nightshade (managu) Solanum scabrum
- African rice Oryza glaberrima
- African yam bean Sphenostylis stenocarpa
- Arrowroot (West Indian arrowroot) Maranta arundinacea
- Bambara groundnut Vigna subterranea
- Bitter leaf Gymnanthemum amygdalinum
- Cassava Manihot esculenta
- Chili pepper Capsicum annuum (hot types)
- Cowpea (black-eyed pea) Vigna unguiculata
- Eggplant (aubergine) Solanum melongena
- Egusi melon Citrullus mucosospermus
- Fluted pumpkin (ugu) Telfairia occidentalis
- Fonio (white fonio, acha) Digitaria exilis
- Gboma eggplant (African eggplant, igbagba) Solanum macrocarpon
- Hausa potato (frafra potato, Sudan potato) Coleus rotundifolius
- Kersting’s groundnut (doyi) Macrotyloma geocarpum
- Livingstone potato (Zulu round potato) Coleus esculentus
- Molokhia (jute mallow) Corchorus olitorius
- Okra Abelmoschus esculentus
- Pumpkin Cucurbita maxima / C. pepo
- Roselle (hibiscus sorrel) Hibiscus sabdariffa
- Sesame Sesamum indicum
- Sweet potato Ipomoea batatas
- Tannia (malanga, yautÃa, cocoyam) Xanthosoma sagittifolium
- Tiger nut (chufa, earth almond) Cyperus esculentus · invasive in some regions
- Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
- Waterleaf Talinum fruticosum
- White yam Dioscorea rotundata
Herbs (3)
- Ashanti pepper (West African black pepper, uziza) Piper guineense
- Grains of paradise (melegueta pepper) Aframomum melegueta
- Scent leaf (African basil) Ocimum gratissimum
Fruit (15)
- Ackee (akee, isin) Blighia sapida
- African star apple (agbalumo, udara) Gambeya albida
- Banana Musa x paradisiaca
- Breadfruit (ʻulu) Artocarpus altilis
- Bush mango (ogbono, dika nut) Irvingia gabonensis
- Cashew Anacardium occidentale
- Indian jujube (ber, phutsa) Ziziphus mauritiana · invasive in some regions
- Mango (dwarf) Mangifera indica
- Miracle fruit (miracle berry) Synsepalum dulcificum
- Mobola plum (hissing tree, muhacha) Parinari curatellifolia
- Papaya Carica papaya
- Pineapple Ananas comosus
- Safou (African pear, ube, bush butter) Pachylobus edulis
- Wild custard apple (African custard apple) Annona senegalensis
- Yellow mombin (hog plum, cajá, jobo) Spondias mombin
Flowers (3)
- Bougainvillea Bougainvillea glabra
- Flame lily (gloriosa) Gloriosa superba
- Tropical hibiscus Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Shrubs (5)
- Corn plant (mass cane, fragrant dracaena) Dracaena fragrans
- Jungle geranium (ixora) Ixora coccinea
- Pigeon pea Cajanus cajan
- Robusta coffee Coffea canephora
- True indigo Indigofera tinctoria
Trees (21)
- African oil palm Elaeis guineensis · invasive in some regions
- African tulip tree (Nandi flame) Spathodea campanulata · invasive in some regions
- Apple-ring acacia (winter thorn, ana tree) Faidherbia albida
- Bitter kola (orogbo, false kola) Garcinia kola
- Coconut palm Cocos nucifera
- Desert date (soapberry tree, lalob) Balanites aegyptiaca
- Dry-zone mahogany (Senegal mahogany, caïlcédrat) Khaya senegalensis
- Fiddle-leaf fig Ficus lyrata
- Gliricidia (madre de cacao, mata ratón) Gliricidia sepium
- Grains of Selim (Ethiopian pepper, uda) Xylopia aethiopica
- Gum arabic tree (hashab, kikwata) Senegalia senegal
- Jackalberry (African ebony, jakkalsbessie) Diospyros mespiliformis
- Kapok (ceiba, silk-cotton tree) Ceiba pentandra
- Kola nut Cola nitida
- Neem Azadirachta indica · invasive in some regions
- Néré (African locust bean, dawadawa) Parkia biglobosa
- Royal poinciana (flamboyant) Delonix regia
- Sausage tree (worsboom, muvevha) Kigelia africana
- Shea tree Vitellaria paradoxa
- Siamese cassia (khi lek) Senna siamea
- Wild date palm (Senegal date palm) Phoenix reclinata
Grasses (4)
- Pearl millet Cenchrus americanus
- Rice (Asian rice) Oryza sativa
- Sorghum Sorghum bicolor
- Vetiver Chrysopogon zizanioides
Reference values for planning, not horticultural, veterinary or medical advice. Varieties, soils and local climates differ: check with a local nursery or extension service.