Hello this is your guide Breanna and today we are going to learn about 5 amazing plants found in the rainforest.
This is the cacao tree (also known as the chocolate tree). You may have heard of this tree before or maybe you haven't. One thing you might not know about the cacao tree is that this tree is an evergreen. This tree grows a pod that can contain 20 to 60 reddish-brown cacao beans. Each tree produces approximately 30 pods a year. Something very crazy is that to produce one pound of dry cacao beans it takes anywhere from seven to 14 pods. Isn't that outrageous! Think, every time you eat a chocolate bar you are actually eating 12 1/4 cacao beans. It’s important to harvest cacao sustainably, since chocolate is in very high demand.
This is the cacao tree (also known as the chocolate tree). You may have heard of this tree before or maybe you haven't. One thing you might not know about the cacao tree is that this tree is an evergreen. This tree grows a pod that can contain 20 to 60 reddish-brown cacao beans. Each tree produces approximately 30 pods a year. Something very crazy is that to produce one pound of dry cacao beans it takes anywhere from seven to 14 pods. Isn't that outrageous! Think, every time you eat a chocolate bar you are actually eating 12 1/4 cacao beans. It’s important to harvest cacao sustainably, since chocolate is in very high demand.
Now I know what your thinking "I know everything there is to know about bananas. You eat them and make them into delicious pies." Well there is a lot more to bananas than just making them into pies. Something very interesting that I bet you didn't know is that the banana tree is actually a giant herb. It takes a total of a year for the tree to be its full height. The height can be anywhere from 10 to 20 feet. The blossoms on the tree eventually bloom into the banana, where the bananas then ripen and are used for sustenances. Banana stems can weigh nearly 100 pounds and are about 93 percent water.
This tree is called the sapodilla tree which is known for a bark that contains a white, gummy sap called chicle. This fruit contains a grainy yellow inside that tastes like a pear when eaten. This fruit is considered the best fruit in Central America, even the mammals of the rainforest find this fruit delicious. The first chewing gum was even created from the sapodilla. I bet you didn't know this but it's true. This chewing gum was made by the Mayans and Aztecs.
This is the orchid. These plants are known for their beauty and are the largest family of plants in the world. The weight and size of these plants vary. The petals of these plants can be 30 inches long! The flower itself can be 14 feet! These flowers are literally every color except for black. Orchids can grow on a variety of things like rocks. These plant rely on certain types of insects and birds.
Do you like coffee? If you do your in for a treat. This is the coffee plant. This plant can grow as tall as 30 feet, but it's considered a shrub. Even though these berries look like grapes, they actually contain 2 coffee beans inside. It takes six to eight years before the coffee plant can be use to make coffee. This plant can live to be 100 years of age!