Tropical Rainforests: Plants

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

After looking at the opening pictures, which plants do you think belong in the rainforest, and which do not?

The top, left picture is a cactus. A cactus cannot live in a tropical rainforest because cacti need a very hot and dry climate to survive.

The bottom picture shows pine trees. A pine tree is another plant that cannot live in the rainforest. Pine trees cannot live in the rainforest because they are only found in cooler climates.

The top, right picture is a tree fern. Tree ferns can be found all over the rainforest! Tree ferns need heavy rain and hot temperatures to survive.

Let's take a look at the different types of plants that can be found in the tropical rainforest.

Look at the picture below. What do you think is on that tree? Tell a parent or teacher. Did you guess there were bananas on that tree? Fantastic! Banana trees can be found in the tropical rainforest. Did you know that the stem that holds the bananas in place can weigh up to one hundred pounds? The stem is so heavy because it is full of water to keep the bananas hydrated and growing!

Banana trees live in the rainforest because the hot temperatures and heavy rainfall help them grow.

Another plant that can be found in the rainforest is a rubber tree. What do you think we use rubber trees for? Tell a parent or teacher. If you said we use rubber trees to make rubber, you are correct! Look at the pictures of the rubber trees below. What do you notice about the rubber trees? Did you notice the buckets attached to the trees? These buckets are used to catch the white sap that comes out of the tree. The sap is called latex. Latex is used to make things like balloons, erasers, rubber bands, gloves, and elastic.

Check out the pictures below. Have you seen these before? They look similar to waterlilies that can be found in lakes and in ponds, but these are a little different. These are called giant waterlilies. Can you guess why they are called giant waterlilies? Tell a parent or teacher. Did you guess that giant waterlilies are really big? Great! Did you know giant waterlilies can grow up to eight feet wide? That's huge!

These are just a few of the amazing plants that can be found in the rainforest. Check out the Plants in the Rainforest: School Project by Laine Rose video below to see some more plants that can be found in the tropical rainforest:

Fantastic! Move on to the Got It? section to learn more about the plants that are found in the tropical rainforest.