The Amazon Rainforest is an incredibly diverse ecosystem that is home to new species of plants, animals, insects, and birds that are discovered every day, and yet there are probably hundreds, if not thousands of species yet to be discovered.

This fact alone draws hundreds of scientists each year to this area of the world to see what they might discover and be able to present to the world of science!

This impressive expanse of ecosystem includes savannas, rainforests, deciduous forests, seasonal forests, and flooded forests. No two ecosystems within the Amazonian rainforest are identical, making this massive area the most diverse and undiscovered in the world.

What is the climate like across this huge expanse of rainforest? It's a hot and humid 79 degrees pretty much throughout the year as an average, but temperatures during the day can reach up to 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

The vegetation in the rainforest produces nearly 20% of the oxygen needed around the world!

The tropical rainforest provides food for the world to eat. The foods we enjoy without giving it much thought include pineapples, coffee, ginger, oranges, bananas, chocolate, black pepper, grapefruit, lemons, nuts, spices, vanilla, mangoes, nuts, tomatoes, and coconuts, to name a few.

Powerful drugs that fight cancer are produced from plants found growing in the rainforest. Many other helpful medicines are produced from Amazon plants as well.

Sustainable resources such as wood, food items, and more are found in the rainforest.

There are nearly 30 million people or 350 indigenous groups of people living within the rainforest of the Amazon. Modern day progress has forced many of these indigenous groups to adopt modern ways of living, including selling items to tourists and abandoning their beloved private way of life.

The shamans or medicine men of these ethnic groups have important knowledge of medicinal plants and foods found in the rainforest. Unless this knowledge is obtained and documented, generations of helpful medicinal information will be hopelessly lost.

The Amazon is home to hundreds, if not thousands, of plant and flower species. Many plants in this area of the world are used as medicine for everything from a headache to a skin rash and much more.

Some of the plant and flower species of the Amazon include: Trillium flower Bromeliad - very popular one is pineapple Water lily Cinchona tree Orchid Coca Castor beans Kapok tree Heliconia Opium poppy FoxgloveFor more please visit our Tropical Rainforest Plants page.

Why are thousands of acres of rainforest being destroyed? The reasons vary, but include the following: Commercial companies exploiting rainforest resources Ranchers clearing land to use for pasture - fires Projects that failed, destroying rainforest in the process such as the flooding caused by failed hydroelectric projects Government subsidies offered to encourage agriculture Poor farmers squatting on public land with the promise of ownership after one year and one day Mining Construction of roads LoggingThe deforestation of the Amazon must be stopped or else the climate of the rainforest and ultimately the world will be adversely affected. The indigenous people of the rainforest have much to lose - their livelihood and perhaps their very lives. Ranchers face the very real possibility of losing all they've worked so hard to acquire. Many of the diverse plant and animal species of the Amazon face extinction if deforestation isn't stopped and we know this will have a global affect, not just a local one. Please see Endangered Species in the Rainforest for more information.

Parts of the Amazon experienced a severe drought in 2005, which resulted in many tree deaths and forest fires. Now, again in 2010, the Amazon is suffering from the worst drought it has seen in 100 years. The rivers are drying up, people are cut off from regular supply deliveries, and the wildlife and plants of the Amazon have been severely affected. It's very possible that this drought will be disastrous if the rainforest of the Amazon doesn't see some significant rainfall very soon.

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There are hundreds of species of rainforest flowers that grow abundantly throughout the rainforests of Brazil, Peru, Australia, and others. This is especially miraculous because the soil in the Amazon rainforest is nearly bereft of nutrients!

Experts in botany claim there are hundreds, if not thousands, of flower and plant species in the Amazon rainforest. You’ll find flowers growing in each of the layers, including flowering trees in the canopy layer. Since most of the nutrients that plants require are in the plants and trees of the rainforest itself, flowers will grow not only from the soil, but within the various layers of trees and plants.

Every color of the rainbow can be found in the flowers of the rainforest! Blue, purple, pink, yellow, orange, red, and many shades of each color too. Each flower species is unique in its appearance and design. They’re fascinating and beautiful!

Some species can be grown in other parts of the world, so you could possibly add some of these tropical flowers to your own garden.

The Amazon rainforest is home to at least 2,700 species of plant called a bromeliad. It's not necessarily a flower, but it could pass for one! It is a plant that grows on rocks, on other plants or trees, or from the soil.

From a top view, the plants look like flowers because of their stunning colors and leaf formation. They are actually a relative of the pineapple, but are much prettier with colors of blue, red, purple, yellow, white, green, red, maroon, and crème.

An interesting thing about bromeliads - their uniquely designed leaves hold water after it rains, providing a mini ecosystem for insects, snails, tiny frog species, and even small salamanders!

Puya Raimondii is the largest bromeliad species with a flower spike measuring up to 10 meters high.

Some species of this flowering plant can be cultivated and grown in warmer climates across the world, but it is naturally found in Florida, Peru, Columbia, Brazil, and Chile.

Also known as the lobster claw plant, heliconias display a beautiful array of colors including pink, green, purple, yellow, red, and orange. Leaves of the plant are oblong in shape and can grow up to 10 feet in length.
This rainforest flower provides a nesting place for hermit birds, food for hummingbirds in the forest, and housing materials for the Honduran White Bat.

It’s a popular ornamental plant used in tropical gardens across the world.

Orchids are classified as epiphytes – a plant that utilizes another plant or tree for support and gets its food from rain, compost left behind on tree branches, and the air. These beautiful flowers number 10,000 species in the rainforests and tropical areas of the world alone!

The strong scent of an orchid will draw insects and moths to it and they in turn will help pollinate the orchid species. Colors of orchids can be any color of the rainbow, but never are found in true black. The smallest orchid bloom measures about the size of a nickel whereas the largest bloom can weigh 2,000 pounds and have flower petals that measure up to 30 inches!

Rainforest orchid species grow best in South America, Central America, and in countries located near the Andes Mountains. Thousands of other orchid species can be cultivated and grown successfully across the world.

The blue passionflower, a flowering vine, is native to the Brazilian rainforest and Argentina. It’s a very interesting looking flower with long white petals spreading outward from the center. Over the white petals are spiny white or blue colored petals and above that are the green and purple stamens. The blooms give off a delicious minty scent that might remind some of tropical fruit.

These rainforest flowers produce not only beautiful blooms, but also edible, oval shaped, orange fruit. The blue passionflower can grow in most climates other than extremely cold ones, but does require a structured support system given that it can grow as high as 30 feet into the air.

The water lily is one of the largest flower species in the world. The giant Amazon water lily, found in the Brazilian Amazon, can cover large expanses of water with its giant green pads. The pads can be as wide as 7 to 8 feet across! The flowers grow up in between the giant pads on stems that can be as long as 18 feet. White blooms appear first and then turn into pink flowers within one day. The blooms themselves can be up to 12 inches high.

Giant water lilies are on display in a few botanical gardens, but cannot be cultivated in home gardens.

Many species of flowering trees flourish in the tropical rainforest alongside the flower and plant species. Some of the flowering trees in the rainforest include:

The diversity of rainforest flowers is so amazing and beautiful! The humid environment of the rainforest encourages the flowers and the flowering trees to bloom at various times throughout the year, so if you would visit, you’d see many species in bloom at any given time!

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There are hundreds of species of rainforest flowers that grow abundantly throughout the rainforests of Brazil, Peru, Australia, and others. This is especially miraculous because the soil in the Amazon rainforest is nearly bereft of nutrients!

Experts in botany claim there are hundreds, if not thousands, of flower and plant species in the Amazon rainforest. You’ll find flowers growing in each of the layers, including flowering trees in the canopy layer. Since most of the nutrients that plants require are in the plants and trees of the rainforest itself, flowers will grow not only from the soil, but within the various layers of trees and plants.

Every color of the rainbow can be found in the flowers of the rainforest! Blue, purple, pink, yellow, orange, red, and many shades of each color too. Each flower species is unique in its appearance and design. They’re fascinating and beautiful!

Some species can be grown in other parts of the world, so you could possibly add some of these tropical flowers to your own garden.

The Amazon rainforest is home to at least 2,700 species of plant called a bromeliad. It's not necessarily a flower, but it could pass for one! It is a plant that grows on rocks, on other plants or trees, or from the soil.

From a top view, the plants look like flowers because of their stunning colors and leaf formation. They are actually a relative of the pineapple, but are much prettier with colors of blue, red, purple, yellow, white, green, red, maroon, and crème.

An interesting thing about bromeliads - their uniquely designed leaves hold water after it rains, providing a mini ecosystem for insects, snails, tiny frog species, and even small salamanders!

Puya Raimondii is the largest bromeliad species with a flower spike measuring up to 10 meters high.

Some species of this flowering plant can be cultivated and grown in warmer climates across the world, but it is naturally found in Florida, Peru, Columbia, Brazil, and Chile.

Also known as the lobster claw plant, heliconias display a beautiful array of colors including pink, green, purple, yellow, red, and orange. Leaves of the plant are oblong in shape and can grow up to 10 feet in length.
This rainforest flower provides a nesting place for hermit birds, food for hummingbirds in the forest, and housing materials for the Honduran White Bat.

It’s a popular ornamental plant used in tropical gardens across the world.

Orchids are classified as epiphytes – a plant that utilizes another plant or tree for support and gets its food from rain, compost left behind on tree branches, and the air. These beautiful flowers number 10,000 species in the rainforests and tropical areas of the world alone!

The strong scent of an orchid will draw insects and moths to it and they in turn will help pollinate the orchid species. Colors of orchids can be any color of the rainbow, but never are found in true black. The smallest orchid bloom measures about the size of a nickel whereas the largest bloom can weigh 2,000 pounds and have flower petals that measure up to 30 inches!

Rainforest orchid species grow best in South America, Central America, and in countries located near the Andes Mountains. Thousands of other orchid species can be cultivated and grown successfully across the world.

The blue passionflower, a flowering vine, is native to the Brazilian rainforest and Argentina. It’s a very interesting looking flower with long white petals spreading outward from the center. Over the white petals are spiny white or blue colored petals and above that are the green and purple stamens. The blooms give off a delicious minty scent that might remind some of tropical fruit.

These rainforest flowers produce not only beautiful blooms, but also edible, oval shaped, orange fruit. The blue passionflower can grow in most climates other than extremely cold ones, but does require a structured support system given that it can grow as high as 30 feet into the air.

The water lily is one of the largest flower species in the world. The giant Amazon water lily, found in the Brazilian Amazon, can cover large expanses of water with its giant green pads. The pads can be as wide as 7 to 8 feet across! The flowers grow up in between the giant pads on stems that can be as long as 18 feet. White blooms appear first and then turn into pink flowers within one day. The blooms themselves can be up to 12 inches high.

Giant water lilies are on display in a few botanical gardens, but cannot be cultivated in home gardens.

Many species of flowering trees flourish in the tropical rainforest alongside the flower and plant species. Some of the flowering trees in the rainforest include:

The diversity of rainforest flowers is so amazing and beautiful! The humid environment of the rainforest encourages the flowers and the flowering trees to bloom at various times throughout the year, so if you would visit, you’d see many species in bloom at any given time!

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Lianas - wicker baskets, furniture and ropes are produced from this climbing vine found winding around the foliage of Brazil's tropical rainforests.

Bromeliads - distant relatives of the pineapple family. A plant that acts as a mini ecosystem for several species of insect and other small creatures.

Saprophytes - found in the ground layer of the rainforest floor - fungi that decompose plant life that lands on the ground layer.

Strangler Fig - this tree begins to grow from a fig tree in the canopy and then shoots roots down to the floor of the forest to take permanent root. It uses a host tree to stabilize itself and eventually kills the host tree as it competes for soil nutrients and light.

The cocoa tree is found in Brazil, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Ghana. Virtually every part of the tree can be used in natural remedies for treating headaches, dry lips and skin, coughs, and burns to name a few. Chocolate produced from the cocoa beans is said to contain polyphenols, which help to reduce blood pressure and prevent heart disease.

The leaves, seeds, bark, and resin of the kapok tree is used to treat maladies such as dysentery, fever, kidney disease, and asthma. This tree also produces several hundred to several thousand fruits at any given time, so it is an important food source as well as having medicinal properties.

Kapok seeds also contain a fiber that can be used as filling for hypoallergenic pillows, upholstery and toys, and the oil from the seeds can be used as a soap.

Clavillia is a plant, but is classified as a perennial herb. It's used to treat medical conditions resulting from bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.

The wild yam is also found in Brazil's Amazon rainforest. The stem and roots of this plant contain diosgenin, a chemical used as natural birth control and to treat menopausal symptoms. Interestingly, the diosgenin found in wild yams is one of the most important components of modern day birth control.

The bark of this tree contains an alkaloid called quinidine, which is used today to treat muscle cramps, headaches, and to regulate irregular heart rhythms. Historical accounts indicate that the leaves of this tree were once used to treat fevers.

Indigenous people of Brazil have used the contents of the roots of this tree to help heal wounds. The leaves of a trumpet tree can reduce inflammation in the form of a poultice or boiled down into a tea as a treatment for infections of the respiratory system.

Brazilians take Suma root to increase blood circulation, regulate blood sugar, increase a healthy appetite, support memory, and to boost the immune system so the body can fight disease more successfully. A healthy side effect of Suma root is that the saponins contained within help to lower blood cholesterol levels.

One of the most beautiful tropical rainforest plants in Brazil is the orchid. The orchid family boasts nearly 20,000 species! They thrive in humid, moist conditions and will grow on trees rather than on the ground in the rainforest.

Helicona flowers are also referred to as lobster-claw flowers because of their unique shape. Colors range from greenish-yellow to bright red and gold, just to name a few color patterns of this flower. There are over 200 species of this very popular decorative garden plant.

The candle bush flower is a stunningly bright yellow flower that resembles a candle tip shape. They're perfect for decorative purposes and are easy to grow outside of the rainforest.

There are several edible plants found in the rainforests of Brazil in addition to those used for medicinal and decorative purposes. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it gives you a good idea of what types of edible plants come from this part of the world.

The Amazon hosts many varieties, colors, types, sizes, and species of tropical rainforest plants. It's estimated that the rainforests in Brazil contain around 1,500 different species of plant life. There are many yet to be discovered too!

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