Rain Forest Plants
by Mimi

Some of the worlds most amazing plants grow in the rainforest. Twenty to 80 species of trees per square acre grow in the rainforest. A regular forest has only about four species of trees per acre. You'll see vines that can grow as much as 3 feet a day, touch plants that have huge stomachs, and sniff flowers that can smell like garbage. You can feel palm fronds whose leaves can be sharp enough to chop off a person's head, and discover trees that have more than a half million flowers. It's a little bit different from the oak trees or cacti in your backyard. Trees and plants thrive in the warm, damp conditions of a tropical rainforest. Trees and plants continually bear fruit, and the forest is always green. Most tropical rainforest trees are evergreens that can have branches only near the tops of their trunks. The leaves are dark green and really tough, with pointed tips to let the rain run off. There are many plants that have not yet been discovered that may cure disease or provide food. These are just some of the many plants that live in our endangered rain forests.

	The Blue Gum is a tree found only in a small area of rain forest in the north of Victoria, Australia. It grows over 320 feet tall. It is the second tallest tree in the world.
	The Bromeliad is shaped like a pineapple and has long spiky leaves. In the middle it's shaped like a cone that fills with rain water so little animals can crawl in and some lay their eggs inside.
	Bananas are from the rain forest. Lots of animals, like monkeys, eat bananas. The fruit grows in big clumps that hang down towards the ground.
	Cacao trees are where chocolate comes from. Seeds and pods hang down from its branches. The seeds are the chocolate.
	Ferns live in every rain forest. There are more than seven hundred kinds of ferns. Some ferns grow on trees and some grow on the ground.
	Ginger has a root that people use for cooking. The flowers are waxy, and come in many colors. They can be yellow,pink red,orange and white.
	Heliconias are waxy and unreal. Some of them have sections that look like bird beaks. They grow on plants that usually have long narrow leaves. They are usually warm colors like orange, red, yellow and pink.
	Hibiscus are shrubby or tree like plants. The leaves are broad and oval,with three to five lobes. Flowers are 4-6 in. wide. They come in many colors like yellow, pink, red, orange, white and combinations of these colors on one blossom.
	The Kapok tree lives in the African and American rain forest. The Kapok tree can grow to be 150-200 feet tall. They have flowers in flood season. There are flowers that produce cotton-like seeds which blow in the wind.
	Orchid- The orchid family is probably the biggest in the plant kingdom,with 17,000 species. The flowers have an unusual shape. Orchids hang from high branches and trees on tropical or subtropical,jungles. They trap air,rain, and whatever decaying vegetable matter they can in their root systems. Many do not need soil to survive.
	Passion Flower vine grows all over the rain forest floor. The passion flower has nectar that is food for many insects and birds.
	Plumerias have leathery, pointed leaves. The flowers grow in clusters. They are large and smell really good.
	Rubber trees grow in rain forests. The product called rubber comes from the sap of this tree. Many things are made of rubber like tires, balls, and knobs of different types.

Topics	Facts	Mammals	Plants
	Reptiles	Amphibians	Birds
Games	Word Search	Crossword Puzzle	Maze
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