The bee is trapped in the orchid long enough for the wax that holds the pollen to the bee’s body to set. As the bee makes its way out, pollen is transferred to its body. The only way out is through a special passage. However, while collecting the oil, a bee will often fall into the flower’s bucket. They collect an oily substance from the flower’s bucket that helps them attract female bees. The male bees are attracted by the flower’s scent. One of the plants in the tropical rainforest that has developed a special relationship with an insect is the Bucket Orchid.īucket Orchids have co-evolved with Orchid Bees, and neither could exist without the other. Orchid bees have co-evolved with orchids. (The other 10% use wind or other means to transfer pollen).
90% of flowering plants require animal assistance to pollinate. Pollination is the process that starts a new plant growing. Rainforest plants also have to attract the animals that help them to pollinate.
Some tropical rainforest plants are poisonous, some have thorns, some have thick bark and others have tough leaves.īut it’s not all about keeping animals away. Plants protect themselves from predators using various strategies. In order to get the sunlight that they need, plants have to be able to grow faster, or to have bigger leaves, than their neighbours. Rainforest plants are in a constant battle, not just with the insects, fungi, birds and mammals that eat them, but also with each other. A Constant Battle For Sunlight And Nutrients It’s a race to the top! In tropical regions, more than 2 metres of rain falls every year. There isn’t much difference between summer and winter. Near the equator, the atmosphere is hot and humid. The equator is an imaginary line that stretches around the centre of the Earth. Tropical rainforests are found near the equator. However, it only makes up 1% (5 billion) of the 390 billion trees in the region! Where Do Tropical Rainforests Grow? The most common tree in the Amazon Rainforest is the açai ( Euterpe precatoria). The Amazon Rainforest itself is home to more than 40,000 plant species! Orchids are very common plants in the tropical rainforest. Tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon Rainforest in South America, Daintree Rainforest in Australia, and the Congo Rainforest in Africa, are home to an incredible number of plants. Plants In The Tropical Rainforest: Introduction View a huge list of rainforest animals here: Rainforest Animals List with Pictures & Facts.You can also see a list of notable rainforest plants here: Rainforest Plants List.This page contains information on rainforest plants, and includes examples of many amazing species.ĭon’t miss the video of the world’s largest flower further down the page! This article is part of our Rainforest series. You’ll find out what kind of plants live in rainforests, and how they’ve adapted to the rainforest environment.
On this page we’ll discover some of the plants in the tropical rainforest.