Plants for a Rainforest Biome

Trees

• Trees and vines make up a large portion of a rainforest biome. According to the website for Blue Planet Biomes, over 2,500 distinct species of vines grow in rainforest biomes across the globe including lianas, which grow along with trees to form the dense canopy that is a prime rainforest characteristic. Trees present in rainforest biomes include such species as the familiar cocoa tree and the towering kapok tree. The kapok tree can reach heights of up to 200 feet growing as much as 13 feet per year according to the Rainforest Alliance website. The odor produced by the trees flowers are known to attract bats.

Flowering Plants

• According to the Rain Forest Alliance, there are more than 10,000 different species of orchids growing in rainforest biomes. Orchids can range widely in size and color with flowers being as small as a few inches to as large as 12 to 14 feet. The only color that orchids do not bloom in is "true" black. Other flowering plants that occur in rainforest biomes include the poinsettia and the heliconia. The heliconia has claw or talon-shaped leaves in colors of red, orange, pink and yellow which hide the plant's smaller flowers.

Fruit Baring Plants

• Many popular fruit baring plants call rainforest biomes home. The banana plant, which is actually considered a herbaceous plant and not a tree, reaches its full height of 10 to 20 feet in about a year. The coffee plant is considered a bush and can reach heights of up to 30 feet tall according to the Rainforest Alliance. The small red fruit borne by the coffee plant will eventually provide the beans that fuel the world's second most profitable industry behind oil. Coffee plants favor high altitude and can live for up to 100 years.