The exceptional richness and diversity of the flora of South America amounts to tens of thousands of plant species. Such natural generosity is greatly facilitated by the successful location of this part of the continent between the subequatorial latitudes of the northern hemisphere of the Earth and the moderate latitudes of the southern.
A significant part of South America with a small Central share forms the Neotropic floristic region.
Dramatically different from the flora of the North American continent, which is mainly dependent on temperature conditions, the plant world of South America lives by different laws. The Neotropic kingdom is characterized by high temperatures and an incredible amount of sunlight, allowing plants to develop year-round over almost its entire area. But the main factor governing the duration of the growing season is the degree of moisture, which decreases as you move away from the equator to the tropics, which makes the differences between the territories inside the continent and near the ocean very significant. Naturally, the plant world of South America is changing. Briefly describe the features of the flora of these areas and get acquainted with its representatives.
Equatorial forests
The hot and humid climate significantly affects the natural zones of the continent, in which the equatorial forests prevail, located on both sides of the equator and occupying vast spaces on the Amazonian and Orinoc lowlands, the slopes of the Brazilian and Guiana highlands, as well as in the coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean. The flora of South America is huge and diverse. The photos presented in the article fully illustrate this. Even the glory of the equatorial forests of Africa is fading in comparison with the magnificence and rich diversity of the flora and fauna of the South American gilea, according to the famous natural scientist A. Humboldt. In Portugal, these forests were called selva.
Features of the plant world of South America
South American gilea is an incredibly rich type of terrestrial vegetation by species and density of cover. These forests are characterized by a combination of height with the tier of the forest canopy. In some places you can count up to five to six levels, three of which are tree-like.
Typically, the upper tiers of these forests are palm trees or legumes. Trees represent a huge segment of the entire plant variety of selva.
Trees
The amazing trees that represent the plant world of South America and often grow exclusively in the equatorial forests are familiar to us by the unsurpassed qualities of the wood that made them famous all over the world. Mahogany, iron, teak, red, black, bacaute, sandalwood, satin - this is an incomplete list of trees that supply the most valuable types of wood, which have various qualities - excellent decorativeness, high durability, etc. For example, they make valuable sandalwood, a representative of the family of Santalaceans sandalwood oil, and satin gives wood with an unusual silky texture.
Gilea is replete with rubber plants: the Brazilian Hevea tree, cultivated throughout the tropical zone, representatives of the legume and Araucaria families. Magnificent natural dyes are made from wood of campus and sappan trees.
Natives of these amazing places are the Brazilian trihedral nut - bertolecia - valued for its high content of healthy fats, avocados, and guava, cultivated for cultivation on an industrial scale. The legendary breadfruit gives great fruits to eat.
Famous representatives of the plant world of South America are chocolate trees with flowers firmly sitting on the trunk and ripening fruits. The cocoa trees in the culture provide excellent raw materials for the production of high-quality chocolate. Enumerate the trees that make up the upper levels of the complex system of tropical forests indefinitely, but move on to other plants that inhabit this world.
Palm trees
The number and variety of palm trees growing in the tropical zone is so overwhelming that they are considered to be the most typical forms of vegetation in this zone. They are characterized by a cylindrical trunk, crowned with a cap of broad hard leaves. Their growth is different: from one meter to the level of the highest gilea trees. Climbing species of palm trees, for example, known as rattan, are interesting.
These are the longest of all climbing palm trees. The trunk of a rattan palm is never too thick, its diameter varies from 1 to 10 cm. In places where there are a lot of them, the forest is practically impassable: their fantastic weaves are entangled in a variety of zigzags.
Creepers
Lianas deserve special attention. The plant world of South America would be significantly depleted if these interesting plants were not present in it. The giley of South America is distinguished by a variety of vines.
These climbing plants can be perennials, annuals, grassy, woody, and decaying. But there is one quality that they do not possess - they cannot be erect and independently maintain the vertical position usual for other plants. They always need a backup, which you can hold on to using various means provided for them by nature. Adhering to the support, clinging to it, the vine grows and develops. It is so arranged, and anything can support it - a tree, a fence. Not being a separate family, creepers are scattered across many other genera, occurring in various families, in particular, mulberry, saxifrage, milkweed, amaryllis, and many others.
The most famous liana is syngonium. In the wild, there are almost twenty of its species, some of which are cultivated for home growth. True, it is very difficult to achieve its flowering at home. And in the conditions of the equatorial forest, it not only blooms with small yellow flowers, but also forms quite edible fruits. The plant world of South America is rich and diverse. In addition to its representatives listed, there is still a huge segment of the most unusual plants.
Epiphytes
South American rainforests are saturated with epiphytes, brightly and colorfully flowering.
These plants live on others, but do not parasitize on them, but simply use them as a support. These are representatives of the families of Aroinik, ferns and others, as well as orchids and gloriosa, unique in their sophistication and beauty. The very high density of the equatorial forest stimulated the development of many plants in the struggle for sunlight. So many plants evolved, becoming epiphytes and finding a way to climb the higher tier of the rainforest. Unfortunately, it is impossible to list all the representatives living in the plant world of South America, the list would be too long.