What’s in flower in the Tropical Rainforest?
Take a look at the big green vine overhanging the flooded forest tank. The Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia elegans) gets its name from the large maroon and white flowers it displays, which have a pipe-like shape. This vine is native to Brazil and is often in bloom in our rainforest.
Photo by: Rachael Tom
The peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) has produced a few bunches of orange fruit. These fruits are eaten by macaws in the wild, but our macaws don’t seem to think they are tasty! They are used as food by the native peoples where it grows in the tropics of South and Central America, but it does require some preparation before eating.
Photo by: Rachael Tom
