Flowers
Many tropical plants have colorful, fragrant blossoms,
often large ones. Typical examples of Neotropical
flowering plants include coral trees (Erythrina spp.),
Pink Poui (Tabebuia pentaphylla), Cannonball Tree
(Couroupita guianensis), frangipani (Plumeria spp.),
Morning- glory Tree (Ipomoea arborescens), passion-
flowers (Passiflora spp.), and Pachystachys species (plates
3- 21– 23). But note that many striking trees that are
abundantly represented in the Neotropics are actually
imported from other tropical regions. For instance, the
gorgeous and widespread Flamboyant Tree (Delonix
regia), the national tree of Puerto Rico, is actually native
to Madagascar. The Common Bottlebrush (Melaleuca
citrina) is from Australia, and the Norfolk Island Pine
(Araucaria heterophylla) is from Norfolk Island in the
southern Pacific Ocean. Some trees that are widely
distributed in the Neotropics, such as the many species
of Jacaranda, with their sprays of lavender blossoms,
are originally from more restricted locations. Jacaranda
mimosifolia comes from northwestern Argentina and is
now cultivated throughout the tropical world.
The flowers of bird- pollinated plants, such as Heliconia,
are very often red, orange, and yellow, while lavender
flowers, such as those of Jacaranda mimosifolia, are more
commonly insect- pollinated. Some trees, such as Silk-
cotton or Kapok Tree (Ceiba pentandra), flower mostly
at night, producing conspicuous white flowers that,
depending on species, attract bats or moths. Fragrant
flowers are pollinated mostly by moths, bees, beetles,
and other insects. Bat- pollinated flowers smell musty,
their odor possibly an attractant to their pollinators.
Because of the high incidence of animal pollination,
especially by large animals such as birds, bats, and large
lepidopterans (members of the butterfly and moth order,
Lepidoptera), flowers tend not only to be large but also to
be nectar- rich and borne on long stalks or branches away
from leaves, or else on the trunk (see “Cauliflory,” above).
Many flowers are tubular or brush- like in shape, though
some, particularly those pollinated by small insects, are
shaped as flattened bowls or plates.
The vivid colors and shapes of many flowers reflect
the prevalence of animal pollination, an important
characteristic of the ecology of all tropical forests (plates
3- 24– 27). Wind pollination is proportionally morePlate 3- 21. Plate 3- 22.
Plates 3- 21 and 3- 22. Many flowers, such as some species of passionflowers (Passiflora, 3- 21) and Pachystachys (3- 22), are brilliant
red, an adaptation that attracts insects and birds to cross- pollinate the plant. The tubular flowers of Pachystachys plants are ideal
for hummingbirds. Photos by John Kricher.Plate 3- 23. This is the large and colorful blossom of the
Cannonball Tree. It is cauliflorous, growing directly from the
tree trunk. Photo by Dennis Paulson.46 chapter 3 rain forest: the realm of the plants