Plants of Rainforest

[natalie]

The rainforests are home to a huge variety of plant species. There are about 250,000 plants known to be found in the rainforests of which around 25,000 are facing extinction. Few of the plants of rainforest & their effects are as follows:

[B]Ayahuasca Vine:[/B] Known as the vine of the dead, this is often used in Shamanic rituals. Mostly used for vomiting, this plant when mixed with certain other species becomes hallucinogenic.

[B]PassionFlower:[/B] Bright colored plants that attract hummingbirds & butterflies. The fruit of the plant is used by both humans & animals.

[B]Astrocaryum:[/B] Acting like a trashcan for dead leaves this stemless mini palm tree then extracts nutrients from those dead leaves.

[B]Curare:[/B] This particular species is used to make poison that is applied to the tip of blowguns.

[B]Emergents:[/B] Most common species of the rainforests, these are large trees that forcibly push their way to the top of the canopy.

[MsImpact]

Where are you from, Natalie? I like your post. Short but sweet (informative).

I love those emergents. I've been to a few rainforests in the Philippines and the smell of the leaves was refreshing. The sight of the massive leaves were wonderful and those giant trees were just magnificent. There were sights that made me though--those creeping creatures.

[Campanitas]

I am hoping to one day visit the Amazon. My husband is from South America and we want to go there. We want our kids to be aware of how important it is to be respectful of the earth. Being green should not be a second thought but second nature.