You’re probably thinking “I know all there is to know about bananas; I eat them for breakfast and can make delicious banana bread.” Well, there is more to bananas then eating them. Even though they grow on trees, bananas are not trees, but giant herbs. After a year, they reach their full height of anywhere between 10 and 20 feet. The blossoms eventually bloom into a fruit, where they then ripen and are used for sustenance. Banana stems can weigh nearly 100 pounds and are about 93 percent water.
Meet New Friends
Tiger
A large Asian carnivorous mammal of the cat family having a usually tawny coat transversely striped with black.
Monkey
A type of animal that is closely related to apes and humans and that has a long tail and usually lives in trees.
Cheetah
A long-legged spotted swift-moving African and formerly Asian cat about the size of a small leopard that has blunt non retractile claws.
Hippopotamus
A large African animal that has an extremely large head and mouth and short legs and that spends most of its time in water.
Known for their beauty, orchids are the largest family of plants in the world. The species varies greatly in weight and size with some petals getting as long as 30 inches, and flowers growing up to 14 feet long. They also come in every color, except black. They grow on rocks, in the soil, underground and on other plants and trees, all while relying on certain insects or birds for pollination.
Bromeliad seems like a complex word and plant, but it’s really not. Bromeliads contain more than 2,700 species that grow on the ground, on rocks and on other plants and rocks. These beautiful plants have bright colored flowers ranging from reds to oranges to purples and to blues. One of the most common bromeliad is a sweet, wondrous fruit. What is it? The pineapple! Bromeliads are even sometimes homes for tree frogs, snails and salamanders where they’ll stay for their entire lives.
This strong, wind-resistant tree has an extensive root system and a famous bark that contains a white, gummy sap called chicle. The egg-shaped fruit contains a grainy yellow fruit inside that when eaten tastes like a pear. Considered the best fruit in Central America, even rainforest mammals, like howler monkeys, find the fruit delicious. The first chewing gum was even created from the sapodilla by the Mayans and Aztecs!
This colorful plant has 40 different species with paddle-shaped leaves that are part of the banana family. In addition to being called heliconia, it is also referred to as lobster claws or parrot flowers. The plant structure has “bracts,” which is a colorful leaf that comes in pink, orange, yellow, green, purple or red. Bracts actually hide the plant’s flowers tucked inside of them, protecting the nectar so only certain birds, like the hummingbird, can reach it. Butterflies also enjoy the sweet nectar.
The poinsettia is mostly seen around Christmastime in the United States. This beautiful plant actually grows in the rainforest in the form of a bush or tree. Who knew?! One would think the colorful part of the plant is the petals, but they are actually the leaves. The flowers are the small, yellow stalks in the middle of the leaves. The poinsettia comes in red, white, pink and bicolor. Also, to clear up rumors, they are not poisonous, even though some believe this is so. Thank goodness it’s not, since it’s the number-one flowering potted plant in the US!