Mongabay.com provides news and analysis on tropical forests. This is why certain plants live in one area but not in another. Read on to learn about some of the most interesting tropical plants in the world. Since this is not a concern in the high humidity of tropical rainforests, most trees have a thin, smooth bark. The leaves of the species can be rather large, up to 3 meters (10 feet) across. The rainforests of the world are home to many fascinating and unique plants. agriculture. The following plant adaptationsenable tropical plants to live in the hot, humid, and wet conditions of the tropical rainforest. Giant Water Lily, Victoria Amazonica. Scott A. Mori is the Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany at the The New York Botanical Garden.His research interests are the ecology, classification, and conservation of tropical rain forest … Adaptations are special features that allow a plant or animal to live in a particular habitat, but make it difficult for them to live somewhere different. We've all seen old photos of people floating on freakishly large water lily leaves and wondered if they had employed some sort of trick to accomplish the feat. Tropical rainforest trees are well-adapted to their environment and have mastered the problem of poor soils. These specific adaptations allow the water lily to survive in its environment. 10 Amazon Rainforest Plants 1. Tropical Rainforest Plants ListEpiphytes. Adaptations are special features that allow a plant or animal to live in a particular habitat, but make it difficult for them to live somewhere different. The thorns also help support the leaves. Victoria amazonica has a leaf that is up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) in diameter, on a stalk up to 8 metres (26 ft) in length. The site is considered a leading source of information on tropical forests by some of the world's top ecologists and conservationists. This is why certain plants live in one area but not in another. the flower is a climbing vine and this vine can grow up to 8 feet. The following plant adaptationsenable tropical plants to live in the hot, humid, and wet conditions of the tropical rainforest. Today rainforest covers 20,000 square kilometres, less than 1% of Australia's land surface. The rainforest gets an average of eighty inches of rain a year, as opposed to the desert, which gets just ten inches, average per year. Victoria amazonica is well known for its huge circular leaves, which are often pictured with a small child sitting supported in the centre as a demonstration of their size and strength. For example, water lilies thrive in water but would wither and die on land. It was once the subject of rivalry between Victorian gardeners in England. Amazon water lily (Victoria amazonica) Rubber Tree … The Amazon Water Lily: Adapted to the River’s Rise and Fall. Giant water lilies are one of the more memorable plants you will find in the Amazon Rainforest. Over time the water lily has adapted to life on the river. Native to the Amazon region of South America, the aptly named giant water lily has been found along the banks of the Amazon River and once was grown in England's Kew Gardens during Queen Victoria's reign.