Facts About Rainforest Plant Life

Plant life in the different biomes on Earth covers a broad range. In the driest desert environments, plants are extremely limited or nonexistent. At the opposite extremes are the rainforests, where plant life abounds.

Water

As the name "rainforest" suggests, water is the key factor in promoting an abundance of plant life. Rainfall amounts of 140 to 160 inches or more per year are common.

Temperature

Although we may think of the tropics when we think of a rainforest, there are also temperate rainforests where trees like the Douglas fir are prevalent.

Trees

Tropical rainforest trees, like the Australian Maiden's Brush, often have so-called buttressed trunks. With a buttressed trunk, the transition from the trunk to the roots flares dramatically at the soil level.

Epiphytes

Other plants, like orchids, bromeliads and mosses, live and grow upon the trunks and branches of large trees. Called epiphytes, these plants occur even high up in the canopy.

Other Plants

In tropical rainforests, vines called liana are common. The term "liana" doesn't refer to a specific kind of vine but is a general descriptor referring to their growth habits.

Animals

The rich plant life in a rainforest provides habitat for many forms of animal life; animals, in turn, disseminate rainforest plants' seeds.

References

• The University of the West Indies: Rainforest
• National Park Service: Temperate Rain Forests