[1] Tokelau includes three inhabited atolls, Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo, and uninhabited Swain's Island, which is disputed with American Samoa.

Characteristic canopy trees include Pisonia grandis up to 25 meters high, Cordia subcordata, and Heliotropium arboreum in single-species or mixed stands, with Calophyllum inophyllum, Pandanus tectorius, Hernandia nymphaeifolia, Ficus tinctoria, and Guettarda speciosa.

Understory plants include the shrubs Suriana maritima and Pemphis acidula, the fern Asplenium nidus, and the vine Ipomoea violacea.

[1] The drier islands are covered with low plants, including sparse grassland dominated by Lepturus repens, the creepers Portulaca spp., Sida fallax, and Sesuvium portulacastrum, the grass Eragrostis paupera, and occasionally the shrubs Cordia subcordata, Abutilon indicum, Suriana maritima, Pemphis acidula, and Tribulus cistoides.

[1] Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) and house cats have been introduced to several islands, and prey heavily on native birds.