What Are Some Plants in the Rainforest?

Last Updated on February 2, 2023 by Derek

Image Source

The term “rainforest” refers to areas of thick jungles with tall trees. In fact, the vegetation is so dense that the canopy layer blocks even direct sunlight from reaching the forest floor.

Why are rainforests so dense? The answer lies in the name. These areas receive a lot of rain, ranging between 79 and 394 inches per year.

Regions like South America, Central America (Amazon Basin) and Southeast Asia are home to rainforests.

More than half of the world’s plant species can be found in the tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests.

Name Some Flowers In The Rainforest

Image Source

Rainforests provide an ideal environment for many plants to grow and flowers to bloom. The large trees and heavy rainfall ensure that the plants in the region remain green even during dry season.

Here are some of the many flowers that can be found in rainforests:

• Rafflesia

• Passion Flower

• Lily

• Orchids

List Some Rare Rainforest Plants

Many unique and rare plants live in the tropical climates. The hot and humid temperature allows a variety of flora to grow and flourish.

Here are some of the rarest plants that you can find in the rainforests:

·        Lily of the Valley

The scientific name of this plant is Peliosanthes javonica.

Looking for this species in the wild is very difficult due its rare status. Forget purchasing this plant, you cannot even find enough information on the Peliosanthes genus.

What the scientific community knows for sure is that this plant is a Southeast Asia native. The flowers which bloom on it are tiny and white.

Although it grows on land, this plant can even survive submerged and flooded soil.

·        Rafflesia Plant

Also known as Rafflesia arnoldii, this plant species has the largest flower in the world. The flower from this plant can reach more than 3 feet in width.

During particular phases of growth, the flower smells like rotten meat. This makes it similar to the corpse flower, but Rafflesia is rarer than that.

The plant is native to Southeast Asian rainforests and it needs carrion flies to pollinate it.

·        Window Leaf Monstera

Also known as Monstera obliqua, the leaves of this plant have a creepy, hollow design. They are so fenestrated that the leaf is mostly holes.

For many years florists and plant enthusiasts confused the Window Leaf Monstera with Monstera adansonii. Though they both look similar, the Window Leaf Monstera is much more fragile.  

This plant is native to the South and Central American rainforests. Due to its extremely slow growth, it is very rare to find.

Most Common Tropical Rainforest Animals And Plants

Image Source

Here are some of the most common tropical plants found in the rainforests: 

·        Passion flowers:

These flowers are found in the Amazon rainforest and are quite common in the area. The strange quality of these flowers is that they almost look like plastic.

They are called “passion” flowers because of their white and purple petal combination. The fruit these flowers bear are called passion fruit.

·        Corpse Flower:

The scientific name of this flower is Amorphophallus Titanum. It is called corpse flower because the flower smells like rotten meat.

It even looks strange with its long tower-like structure protruding up from the pedals. The flower does not seem like it belongs to this planet at all.

·        Orchids:

The orchids bloom in the Amazon river area. They are referred to as epiphytes. This is due to their parasitic nature.

Orchids colonize their host plant’s branches to get better access to water. Interestingly, orchids are the largest flower family found in nature.

·        Giant Water Lily:

One of the aquatic plants, its scientifically called Victoria Amazonica. Although it looks pretty, do not think of it as weak.

Their leaves can grow up to half a meter, sustaining around 136 kilograms of weight. Also, the leaves grow thorns to keep predators away.  

Other common plants found in rainforests include:

• Strangler fig

• Rubber tree (hevea brasiliensis)

• Kapok trees (ceiba pentandra)

• Cacao trees (theobroma cacao)

• Air plants (species that live on a host tree)

The most common animal species that you can find in the rainforests are:

• Mountain Gorilla

• Blue Morpho Butterfly

• Three-toed sloth

• Jaguar

• Capybara

Most Interesting Rainforest Plants

Some of the world’s most fascinating plants can be found in the tropical regions.

These range from plants that produce flowers of bright colors to plants that eat small insects.

·        Monkey brush

This South American native is famous for its beautifully colored flowers. The flowers are big, puffed and elongated with orange, red and yellow tips.

Combretum rotundifolium is the scientific name of the Monkey brush vine. These plants can grow up to 6 feet in height.

·        Pitcher plant

These tropical plants can be found in many regions like Southeast Asia, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and the Seychelles.

Since the pitcher plant is carnivorous, it grows in soil with poor nitrogen supply. To get their supply of nitrogen and food, these plants have vase-shaped cups.

The cups exude an intoxicating aroma which attracts bugs and insects. Once an insect enters the vase, it falls into a vat of acidic liquid which starts dissolving it.

The dissolved insect provides these plants the nitrogen they need.

What Are Some Pretty Rainforest Plants?

Image Source

Growing in high humidity, many plants in the rainforests take on a pretty appearance. Whether you are looking for a plant or a tree, you will many beautiful varieties in the dense rainforests.

·        Lianas

These are woody vines which climb the tree trunks. They hold up large trees by building a complex and expansive network.

·        Huimba

One of the tallest trees found in the Amazon, Huimba can grow up to 160 feet in height. These canopy tree species are believed to possess evil spirits by the native tribes.

·        Hot Lips

As the name suggests, the flower of this plant is surrounded by two leaves which resemble red colored lips. The flower contains nectar which attracts many butterflies and hummingbirds.

·        Achiote

This is a shrub whose scientific name is Bixa Orellana. When in bloom, white or pink colored flowers bloom on this plant. The fruits of Achiote have spikes on them. Their seeds are used to make dyes.

Interesting Rainforest Plants Facts

Here are some interesting facts about the rainforest trees, plants and the habitat in general:

• The reason why trees in rainforests are so tall is because of the dense vegetation. To survive, the trees need to reach up and get sunlight.

• Most animals live in the rainforest canopy layer. The other three layers of the rainforest are: emergent layer (tall trees), understory (small trees) and forest floor (very few plants).

• The Amazon is the world’s biggest rainforest.

• Most rainforests are found near the equator. But some can also be found in the temperate zone.

What Are Rainforest Plant Adaptations?

Under the thick forest canopy and dense vegetation, the flora in rainforests have developed some peculiar adaptations, such as:

• Tall and thin tree trunks. This allows rain water to easily flow down the trees without getting stuck.

• Drip tip at the end of the leaves to get rid of rain water. Almost all leaves in the rainforests have this feature

• Buttress roots with large ridges that support tall trees. This allows tropical trees to grow big and tall.

• Epiphytes, which are plants that grow on trees and not the soil. They are found in the canopy layer.

Insectivore Plants In The Amazon Rainforest

In areas where the soil does not have enough nitrogen, the plants become carnivorous.

Pitcher plants are a good example of this. They have vase-like cups which attract insects. After an insect falls inside, the acid inside the vase dissolves it.

Sundew plants have adhesive traps. Their leaves have glands which produce a sticky substance to trap small insects.

The famous Venus fly trap uses snap traps. The leaves of this plant snap shut and trap the unfortunate insect who sits on them.

Bladderworts are another type of insectivore. They have suction traps. These traps are empty bladders that suck an insect in when it comes into contact.

FAQ Relating To What Are Some Plants In The Rainforest?

What Kind Of Plants Are Found In Rainforest?

Rainforests are home to thousands of plant species. The plants and trees in the Amazon have unique adaptations found only in the rainforests.

Trees in the rainforests have woody vines and buttress roots to survive the often marshy soil on the ground level.

What Is The Most Common Plant In The Rainforest?

The most abundant plant in the rainforests is the açaí palm. This species is found in the canopy layer of the forest and can grow up to 65 feet in height.

What Are Some Cool Plants In The Rainforest?

Some of the coolest plants in the rainforest include:

• Giant Water Lily

• Heliconia

• Cacao

• Passion Flower

• Coffee Plant

• Orchid

• Monkey Brush Vines

What Is The Most Rarest Plant In Rainforest?

Many of the rarest plants in the rainforest are also endangered. Plants like Rafflesia, Mangrove Tree, Kapok Tree and Bromeliads are very rare to find.