Monteverde : Ecology and Conservation of a Tropical Cloud Forest

Table 3.7. The distribution of species among the growth forms of native vascular plants at Monteverde.

Growth Form

Taxa Herb* Vine Liana Shrub Tree Epiphyte Total % Total

Ferns and Relatives
Gymnosperms
Monocots
Dicots
Total
% Total

144

0

227

245

616

21

20

0

46

81

147

5

2

0

25

193

220

7

2

1

21

345

369

12

13

1

11

730

755

25

177

0

471

230

878

29

358

2

801

1824

2985

12

0.1

27

61

aThe herb category includes only terrestrial species; herbaceous epiphytes are included with epiphytes.

in light gaps and edges (e.g., species of Calathea,
Costus, Heliconia).

Shrubs and treelets. Shrubs are defined as woody-
stemmed, free-standing plants less than 5 m tall at
maturity. The term "treelet" has also been applied to
species under 5 m that have a single-stemmed, tree-
like growth form. Dicots are represented by 345 spe-
cies of shrubs (19% of all dicot species) in 46 fami-
lies (Appendix 2). Dicot shrubs and treelets are well
represented in both primary and secondary habitats.
Five dicot families dominate the shrub layer of pri-
mary forest understory: Acanthaceae, Melastomata-
ceae, Piperaceae, Rubiaceae, and Solanaceae (Fig. 3.7).
In disturbed areas, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Faba-
ceae, Malvaceae, Solanaceae, and Urticaceae are the
most important families. Among monocots, only 21
species (3% of monocots) contain shrublike plants,

all in the families Arecaceae and Poaceae. The Are-

caceae (19 species) are prominent in the understory

of the wetter life zones, whereas the shrubby Poaceae

(e.g., species in the genera Gynerium, Lasiacis, and

Pennisetum) form a group of semiwoody shrubs that

are common in drier life zones and in disturbed areas.

Trees. Trees are defined as free-standing woody plants

reaching at least 5 m tall or 10 cm diameter at breast

height (DBH). A total of 755 tree species in 92 fami-

lies have been identified at Monteverde (Table 3.7;

Appendix 2). Tree species make up 25% of all plant

species. Of these, 730 species are dicots belonging

to 88 families. Eleven species of palms (1.5% of all

tree species) commonly grow to tree size. Podocarpus

monteverdeensis (Podocarpaceae), an endemic and

the only native gymnosperm tree at Monteverde, is

a canopy tree of the cloud forest and swamp. Thirteen

Figure 3.6. Distribution of the

number of species of terrestrial herbs

by plant family in Monteverde.

52 Plants and Vegetation