Figure 3.7. Distribution of
the number of species of
shrubs and treelets by plant
family in Monteverde.species of tree ferns also exceed 5 m in height.
Lauraceae is by far the dominant family of trees in
species richness (Fig. 3.8) and importance in the
canopy. Lauraceae made up 31% of the stem basal
area in lower montane wet forest (Nadkarni et al.
1995). At least 228 tree species occur on the Pacific
slope (700-1200 m), 410 grow in the montane zone
(above 1200 m), and 370 have been recorded from the
Atlantic slope (700-1200 m).
Climbers. Climbers are plants that cannot support
themselves in an erect position, at maturity. A few
lianas (e.g., Salacia, Paullinia) can be found as 2 m
erect saplings while they are young. Climbers can be
divided into three general growth forms: herbaceous
tree trunk climbers, vines, and lianas.
Herbaceous tree trunk climbers. These plants are some-
times called tree trunk-climbing epiphytes (Gentry
1993, Hartshorn and Hammel 1994) because theirFigure 3.8. Distribution of
the number of species of
trees by plant family in
Monteverde.53 Plants and Vegetation