Rain forest plants

Rain forest plants can be broken into four distinct layers: the emergent layer, the canopy layer, the under story layer, and the forest floor layer.

The emergent layer is very small. It consists of a few very large trees, ones that stretch out over the general height of the canopy layer. Generally speaking, these heights are between 45-80 m tall.

Only the sturdiest of the trees can grow to this layer, because they have to be able to withstand the tropical winds and heat that the other layers are protected from.

Animals that depend upon the emergent layer are butterflies, bats, monkeys, and eagles.

The next layer down is the canopy layer. As the name implies, this is a layer of trees that forms a canopy over the top of the rain forest. It is estimated that a full fifty percent of Earth's plant population exists in the canopy layer.

It is still widely unexplored, and considering that items such as airships are required to study this part of the rain forest, the unexplored nature of the canopy layer is no wonder.

The next layer contains the animal and plant life that is much more familiar to people who are familiar with the rain forest in passing. The under story layer is the layer between the floor and the canopy and home to parrots, snakes, exotic snakes, and big cats.

The plant life of this layer is absolutely essential to giving life to the birds and insects that exist in this layer of the rain forest. These plants must be hardy, also, because this area of the rain forest only receives about five percent of the sunshine, due to be covered by the canopy layer.

The last layer, the forest floor layer has ever less sunlight, approximately two percent. Fewer plants grow along the floor, except along swamps and riverbanks, because of the lack of sunlight. The biggest grower in the forest floor layer is a fungus that helps break up the decayed wasted.

Overall, it is important to remember that the majority of plant life in the world is made up of rain forest plants, many of which are yet to be discovered.

Tropical rain forest plants

One of the most intriguing edible plants to come out the tropical regions of Latin America is the "allspice" berry. These tiny berries are found on evergreen trees of around one hundred feet tall. They have a very distinct aroma and get their name from the mixture of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg flavor that they tend to have.

Cashews are another product that is edible and native to the trees of Latin American rain forests. These delicious, fatty nuts can be made into milk, which can in turn be made into butter and cheese. Of course, they can also be eaten as a nut, and millions of importers enjoy them as just that every year, particularly around the holidays.

Though cashews are loved, they hold nothing to chocolate. Originally used as a hot spice, coca is native to the Latin American rain forests and was imported to the European during the Age of Exploration.

Many of the spices that we love grow in abundance on the barks of trees in the tropical forests, particularly those in the Asian rain forests. Those include cinnamon and cloves.

Also native to the tropical rain forests are fruit trees. Citrus trees, in particular, such as oranges, lemons, tangerines, grapefruits, and limes. Although many people associate the pineapple with Hawaii and numerous other islands, the pineapple is actually grown in its original region of origin, the tropics.

Finally, an item that is grown in many northern gardens, the cucumber, originates in the tropics as well. It is still grown widely in Latin America, but has been successfully grown in many other, much colder, regions.

When discussing the effects of losing rain forests on the world, it is important to remember what wonderful edible foods they have given us. We have yet to discover just what lurks within the tropical rain forests, and there may be many other delicious tropical rain forest plants waiting to be discovered.

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