In the final part of our blog featuring some of our favourite rainforest plants, we take a look at the unusual Sapodilla and beautiful Bromeliad!
Sapodilla
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!
Habitation: Native to southern Mexico, Belize and northeastern Guatemala.
Bromeliad
Bromeliads contain more than 2,700 species that grow on the ground, on rocks and on other plants. These beautiful plants have bright coloured flowers ranging from reds to oranges to purples and to blues. One of the most common bromeliad is the pineapple! Bromeliads are even sometimes homes for tree frogs, snails and salamanders where they’ll stay for their entire lives.
Habitation: Found in the Neotropics including southern Mexico, Central and South America and the West Indies. One species is also found in western Africa.
