AnnaThe Amazon Rainforest is a vast and diverse ecosystem that covers much of South America. It’s home to an incredible array of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else on earth. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most fascinating and beautiful Amazon rainforest plants to spot during a jungle tour. So get ready to learn all about the flora of the Amazon jungle, the type of rainforest this is, and the different types of plants you can expect to see on a tour.
Flora in the Amazon jungle
According to the WWF, the Amazon Rainforest is home to an estimated 80,000 plant species; that’s more than any other region on Earth.
This incredible biodiversity is due to the vast size of the Amazon and its tropical climate of course; but also to the many microhabitats within the rainforest. In fact, it is estimated that a new plant or animal species is discovered in the Amazon every two days. Fascinating, isn’t it?
This diversity of plant life is crucial to the health of the ecosystem. It provides food, shelter, and other resources for the countless animal species that call the Amazon home.
The Amazon rainforest’s climate
The Amazon Rainforest is a tropical rainforest, meaning it gets high temperatures and rainfall throughout the year. The climate is hot and humid, with average temperatures around 27°C (80°F). The high levels of rainfall –which can reach up to 3000 mm per year– provide the perfect conditions for plant growth.
Tropical plants, which make up the majority of the plants found in the Amazon, are adapted to survive in this type of climate. They have evolved to thrive in the heat, humidity, and abundant rainfall. They display for example large leaves to capture sunlight, shallow roots to absorb nutrients quickly, and a high tolerance for moisture.
The most common Amazon rainforest plants to spot on a jungle tour
If you love nature, we cannot recommend enough spending a few days in the Amazon Rainforest. From beautiful flowers to tasty fruits, towering trees, and aquatic plants in the Amazon River, you’ll be awestruck by the incredible variety of the flora and its unique aspects. If you’re patient, you might even watch it move and grow!
Start planning: Where and how to visit the Amazon in Ecuador
Here are some of the most common Amazon rainforest plants that you could spot on a jungle tour:
Flowers and pretty plants
- Orchids: With over 3,000 species, orchids are the most diverse family of flowering plants in the Amazon rainforest. They come in a variety of colours and shapes, including the oh-so-beautiful vanilla orchid.
- Bromeliads: These beautiful plants are known for their colourful leaves and exotic appearance. They can grow on trees, rocks, or in the ground; and they store water in a central cup, providing a home for many different species of animals.
- Monkey brush vine: This parasitic plant grows by tangling itself with other plants. When it blossoms, the flower buds burst open in bright yellow and red, giving this exotic vine its ‘brush’ appearance.
Useful plants
- Brazil nut tree: The Brazil nut tree is a tall canopy tree that produces large, delicious nuts, commonly harvested by local communities. The tree is also an important source of oil for cosmetics. Unfortunately, the brazil nut tree is classified as a vulnerable species, due to deforestation.
- Rubber tree: The rubber tree, also known as the rubber fig or rubber plant, is a key source of natural latex. It’s used to make rubber products, so it’s an important source of income for indigenous communities.
Fruits
- Açai: Açai is a popular superfood that’s made from the fruit of the açai palm tree. It is high in antioxidants and is known for its health benefits. You can see them mainly in the Brazilian Amazon and served at your favourite coffee shop.
- Passionfruit: Who doesn’t love a good passion fruit? This sweet and tangy fruit is often used in drinks, desserts and sauces. It grows on a vine and is commonly found in the Amazon rain forest.
Got a sweet tooth? Discover more exotic fruits from South America, in this post.
Trees
- Kapok tree: The kapok tree (or silk cotton tree) is one of the tallest trees in the Amazon rainforest, reaching up to 60 m (200 ft) in height. Its trunk is covered in spines, and it produces a soft, cotton-like material that’s used to stuff pillows and mattresses.
Learn more facts about the Amazon and South America in general!
- Mahogany tree: The mahogany tree is large, and equal in height to the kapok, so you’ll see it above the rainforest canopy. It’s a slow-growing tree that can live up to 350 years. It has a straight trunk of beautiful, dark wood that we use in furniture, cabinetry, and musical instruments.
- Strangler fig tree: Although Buddha’s emblematic tree is a parasitic species that sucks up the nutrients of nearby trees (causing them to die eventually), its hollow centre also provides habitats for many rainforest animals, including birds and bats.
Plants in the Amazon River and its tributaries
- Giant water lily: The giant water lily –also known as the Victoria amazonica– is a spectacular plant that can grow up to 3 m (10 ft) in diameter! Its leaves are so large and buoyant that they can support the weight of a small child. You can recognize them from the characteristic upturned rim.
- Water hyacinth: The water hyacinth is a fast-growing aquatic plant that can cover large areas of the Amazon River. Although it’s considered an invasive species, it provides important habitat for fish and other aquatic animals.
We visited the Amazon Rainforest in Peru and had a wonderful experience. Read about it in our post.
Will you see different plants in the Amazon rainforest depending on the country you visit?
Yes. The impressive Amazon covers a vast area –6.7 million km²!– that spans no less than nine South American countries, including Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Each country has its own unique flora and fauna, and different regions within each country can have their own distinct ecosystems.
However, you can expect to see a wide range of plant species whatever the country you visit, as the Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.
