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Endangered Amazonian Plants

From the banks of the Amazon river to the towering canopies, the Amazon rain forest provides a home to thousands of plant species. Some of these plants are endangered, putting thousands of subspecies at risk. Endangered plants in the Amazon create homes and habitats for other plants, animals and insects and any risk to the plants is a risk to the entire ecosystem.

Kapok Tree
- Towering kapok trees provide stability to the Amazon ecosystem and grow high above the canopy layer of the rain forest. Some trees reach heights of 150 feet or higher with diameters up to 9 feet wide. Because it has easy access to the sun, the kapok tree falls into the deciduous category and loses its compound leaves during the dry season. Kapok tree leaves are made up of 5 to 9 leaflets --- each 2.75 to 3.15 inches long. The kapok tree's straight trunk has spines for protection and the external root system can range up to a diameter of 30 feet to stabilize the tree. Most of the leaves grow in the upper umbrella-shaped part of the tree and the branches provides homes to animals and other plants.
Orchids
- Orchids make up one-tenth of all the plant species in the world with more than 25,000 different subspecies, and many of these live in the Amazon rain forest region. Orchids thrive in the warm, damp conditions that the Amazon provides and don't need soil to grow and develop. Orchids can grow in trees high in the canopy to better access the sun's rays. Orchids have psuedobulbs near the roots to store water and a waxy coating over the leaves and roots to protect the plant from the sun and heat. Usually only one or two species of insects pollinate a particular variety of orchid. When these insect become threatened or endangered it puts the future of the orchid at risk as well.
Bromeliad
- The bromeliad grows in the branches of trees in the Amazon rain forest and has adapted to life without soil. Bromeliads obtain their water supply by catching rain water in the plant's cup-like structure. The leaves then absorb this water to provide hydration to the plant. The water cups also provide a habitat for insects, frogs and other small rain forest animals. Bromeliad produce flowers one time in the life of the plant and these flowers can come in shades of violet, red and orange. Bromeliad leaves can have a simple green color, but some varieties have silvery stripes or spots. The bromeliad has about 2,700 different subspecies and approximately one-third of them are endangered.

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