THE AMAZING AMAZON....
The Amazon rainforest is home to a wide variety of plants and
animals. It spreads over 2 million square miles on the earth's surface.
It spans over 8 South American countries. The Amazon rainforest has no
seasons. And it rises and falls over 30 feet every year. There are many
Amazon rainforest plants and trees, which are known to have anti-cancer
properties.
About a third of the world's species of plants and insects make their home in the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon rainforest plants and animals are dependent on each other. This interdependency is necessary for the survival of these species. When a particular Amazon plant species is destroyed, the animals thriving on that plant species are left homeless. They cannot proliferate and thus, face the threat of extinction.
The rainforest helps maintain oxygen content in the air. But large-scale deforestation has wiped out a large area of rainforest plants. This has led to increase in the percentage of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other harmful gases in the air. This has made our planet hotter and contributed to the greenhouse effect.
The flora are a source of many useful herbal medicines. Scientists have also found that the trees of this forest hold the key to cure cancer and perhaps even AIDS. The medicines that we use everyday like aspirin or painkillers and those used for the treatment of heart ailments have compounds extracted from these plants.
The Amazon Rainforest Ecosystem
The rainforest climate is really bad. It is hot, wet, sticky and very humid. The soil is also poor. It rains suddenly and stops just as it started suddenly. The Amazon rainforest receives rainfall which is known as the convectional rainfall. It means the sun heats the ground, causing the water to evaporate. Then this evaporated water condenses to form clouds and it rains. What goes up comes down and what comes down goes up again!
The strange Amazon rainforest climate has led to many adaptations in plants. The emergent layer consists of tall trees that attain a height of 40m that helps them get sunlight. The rainforest plants and trees have downward curving tips to help drip off the rainwater. The tress are straight with branches only at the top. They are supported by buttress roots. The Amazon river tends to flood every few months, so the plants have also adapted themselves to prevent drowning.
List of Amazon Rainforest Plants
1.Bromeliad
About a third of the world's species of plants and insects make their home in the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon rainforest plants and animals are dependent on each other. This interdependency is necessary for the survival of these species. When a particular Amazon plant species is destroyed, the animals thriving on that plant species are left homeless. They cannot proliferate and thus, face the threat of extinction.
The rainforest helps maintain oxygen content in the air. But large-scale deforestation has wiped out a large area of rainforest plants. This has led to increase in the percentage of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other harmful gases in the air. This has made our planet hotter and contributed to the greenhouse effect.
The flora are a source of many useful herbal medicines. Scientists have also found that the trees of this forest hold the key to cure cancer and perhaps even AIDS. The medicines that we use everyday like aspirin or painkillers and those used for the treatment of heart ailments have compounds extracted from these plants.
The Amazon Rainforest Ecosystem
The rainforest climate is really bad. It is hot, wet, sticky and very humid. The soil is also poor. It rains suddenly and stops just as it started suddenly. The Amazon rainforest receives rainfall which is known as the convectional rainfall. It means the sun heats the ground, causing the water to evaporate. Then this evaporated water condenses to form clouds and it rains. What goes up comes down and what comes down goes up again!
The strange Amazon rainforest climate has led to many adaptations in plants. The emergent layer consists of tall trees that attain a height of 40m that helps them get sunlight. The rainforest plants and trees have downward curving tips to help drip off the rainwater. The tress are straight with branches only at the top. They are supported by buttress roots. The Amazon river tends to flood every few months, so the plants have also adapted themselves to prevent drowning.
List of Amazon Rainforest Plants
1.Bromeliad
There
are over 2,000 bromeliad species in the Amazon rainforest. The most
common bromeliad species is the tropical fruit, pineapple. You will find
a variety of colors like purple, blue, orange and red in bromeliad
plant species. They are found growing all over the rainforest on rocks,
in soil and a few grow on other plants and tree trunks. These plants are
life-sustaining plants, as their leaves overlap each other and store
rainwater.
2Heliconia
The
heliconia flowers are also known by many other names. These names
include wild plantain, lobster-claw and false bird-of-paradise flowers.
These flowers come in many sizes and colors and are shaped in such a
way, that only a few birds can reach them for nectar. They are found in a
rainbow of colors, patterns and sizes, making them popular decorative
flowers around the world.
3.Kapok Tree
The
giant of the Amazon rainforest that can grow up to 200 feet high and 9
to 11 inches in diameter, the Kapok tree is the most important plant
species of the Amazon rainforest, as it houses many species of Amazon
rainforest plants and animals. You can find over 400 to 5000 fruits
produced by the Kapok tree at one time. The Amazon rainforest kapok tree
is used by the native people for its bark, resin, seeds and leaves. It
is known to help treat fever, asthma, kidney diseases and dysentery.
4.
Orchids
The
orchids are known for their beauty and strong fragrance. You will find
hundreds of orchid species in the Amazon rainforest. They are known to
survive for long without water. They produce hundreds and thousands of
seeds that are carried by the wind throughout the Amazon rainforest for
propagation.
5.
Water Lily
The
water-lily is the largest flower in the world. It can grow up to 6 feet
long. Though it is large, it weighs very less. It can float on water in
the Amazon lakes and rivers. There are so many water lilies growing
together that they form a type of solid floor over the entire lake.
6.
White Trillium
The
white trillium flower has three petals, three sepals and three leaves.
Chewing on white trillium leaves, is known to help cure a snakebite. If a
woman in labor chews on the petals, it will help ease childbirth. And
chewing on the sepals helps in curing fever.
7.
Coca
The
coca plant is one of the widely used plants in South America. It is
said that chewing the leaves will help treat a headache and prevent
tiredness. It is also used to relieve sickness, hunger, fatigue and even
aches.
8.
Castor Beans
The
castor beans are used to help relieve constipation. But, they are also
very poisonous. Thus, their use has been minimized. Castor oil is used
as a lubricant, lotion for dry skin, dermatitis, sunburn, open sores,
etc.
9Trumpet Tree
The
trumpet tree belongs to genus Tabebuia. This genus contains about 100
different species of trees. This is a flowering tree that produces
flowers in large, dense clusters. The trumpet tree is an attractive tree
with flowers in the shape of a trumpet. The indigenous people of Brazil
use the roots of the tree to cure wounds. The leaves are boiled down to
a poultice and used to treat inflammation. Tea of the leaves is used to
treat respiratory ailments.
10.Strangler Fig
Strangler
fig is a common name that is used to describe many plant species of
related banyans and unrelated vines. These include Ficus aurea, Ficus
obliqua, etc. These trees are named so due to their 'strangling' growth
habit. These trees grow in the dark forests and begin life as epiphytes.
They use the host plant for support and as they grow they tend to kill
the original tree. Thus, you may find that many of these trees have a
hollow central core.
Actually the Amazon is amazing.. :-)
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