Daily Archives: September 9, 2009

Plant Adaptations

orchids

On our trip to Melbourne we also visited the Botanic Gardens and participated in a tour about Plant Adaptaions. The highlight was a visit to the tropical hot-house, where we saw cocoa and coffee plants, ‘carnivorous’ pitcher plants and these beautiful orchids. Tropical rainforest plants are characterised by their large, often heart-shaped leaves, that allow water to shed easily. Water conservation is not an issue for tropical rainforest plants, but getting enough sunlight may be difficult. Many tropical plants are climbing vines or epiphytes that can clamber up trees or grow high up in branches to get access to light for photosynthesis.