NAME AND PICTURE SCIENTIFIC NAME OF PLANT

GROWING LOCATION

DEFENCE MECHANISMS

KEY/UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS ABOUT PLANT

Strangler Fig Ficus aurea ‘strangling’ growth technique

Grows on top of other trees

Inhabits cloud forests in Costa Rica

Grows on other tree for more light in low-light rainforests

Roots twist down host tree to get water and nutrients and water

The fig fruits are edible, but small and bitter

Seeing as it does not take nutrients directly from the host tree, it is not considered a parasite

Begins as a epiphyte (see below)

Orchid Cattleya skinneri Usually grow on trees

Grow virtually everywhere in Costa Rica

Mimicry- some species flower mimics the appearance of an insect to either attract certain bugs to pollinate, or repel bugs that are unwanted

More than 1300 species in Costa Rica

Vanilla is the fruit on a certain type of orchid

Orchids are the official flower of Costa Rica

The different types of orchids vary drasticly

Pitcher Plant Nepethenes Found in swampy or boggy areas

Capture prey in the tube with gel-like substance lining tube

Carnivorous- it insects

Have 2 sexes- female and male

Teak Tree Tectona grandis Grows in rich soil and in tropical climate

Prefers location with 3 month long dry season

Natural oils make tree resistant against all weather conditions

Not native to Costa Rica

Valuable hardwood- often in plantations

Calabash Lagenaria siceraria 

Found in Africa and Americas

Mainly grows in sandy soil

Often grows in the shade

Hard outer shell of fruit protects seeds

Leaves of plant are edible

Reports of fruit poisoning humans

Air Plants Epiphytes Root on to other plants

Gets sufficient water from runoff of other plants

Thrive off of decaying plant matter

Orchids, ferns, lichens and many other plants are classified as air plants

Resurrection Fern Polypodium polypodioides

Attaches to other plants

Grows in hardwood forests

When there is little precipitation, it withers/ shuts down then returns to normal function when normal conditions return

It is also an epiphyte

Can withstand periods of drought

Angel’s Trumpet Tree Brugmansias suaveolens

Prefer areas that are humid and have a large water supply

Established in residential areas in Central America

Poisonous Their fragrance is only emitted after dark

Coconut Cocos necifera Grow along the ocean coasts

Grows in sandy areas with an abundance of sunlight and regular rainfall

The husk and outer seed make it difficult to get at the edible part of the coconut

Drop coconuts hoping to drop into ocean and arrive in a remote area

Sensitive Plant Mimosa pudica Grows extensively in tropical regions

Prefers warm areas

Leaves fold inward when dark, touched, shook, warmed

Considered invasive in other parts of the world

Extracts of the roots is thought to be able to neutralize effects in venom of monocled cobra

References:

All About the Pitcher Plant . (n.d.). Carnivorous Plants Website: Care, Plant Types, and Sources. . Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.carnivorous--plants.com/pitcher-plant.html

Angel Trumpet Plant - Growing Angel Trumpets - Angel Trumpet Tree. (n.d.). Plant Guides, Pictures And Growing Information . Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.botanical-journeys-plant-guides.com/angel-trumpet-plant.html

Costa Rica Nature | National Flower and Tree. (n.d.). Costa Rica Vacation Rentals - Beach Rentals, Luxury Rental Homes, Houses, Villas, Jaco, Tamarindo, Flamingo, Manuel Antonio, Rent a Vacation Home, House, Villa, Condo. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.villascostarica.com/costa-rica-nature.html

Floridata: Brugmansia suaveolens. (n.d.). Welcome to Floridata. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.floridata.com/ref/b/brug_sua.cfm

Floridata: Polypodium polypodioides. (n.d.). Welcome to Floridata. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.floridata.com/ref/p/poly_pol.cfm

Lagenaria siceraria. (n.d.). PlantZAfrica.com Homepage. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantklm/lagensic.htm

McCabe, G. (n.d.). Orchids native to the southern nicoya peninsula - Montezuma, Malpais, Santa Teresa, Etc. Montezuma, Costa Rica - Hotels, Car Rentals, Beaches, Real Estate, Rental Houses, Restaurants, Activities, Community, Culture, and Tourist Information. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.montezumabeach.com/orchids.html

Mimicry. (2011). In Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/383252/mimicry

Product Information . (n.d.). The Green Investment Co . Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://thegreeninvestmentco.com/our-investments/product-information/

Resurrection fern. (n.d.). The School of Forest Resources and Conservation. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Resurrection_fern/resufern.htm

Strangler Figs. (n.d.). Backyard Nature with Jim Conrad. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.backyardnature.net/yucatan/stranglr.htm

Tropical Hardwood- Tencona grandis Teak. (n.d.). Finca Leola- Costa Rica Reforestation. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from www.fincaleola.com/teak.html

costa rica flora. (n.d.). viva costa rica. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.vivacostarica.com/costa-rica-information/costa-rica-flora.html

sensitive plant (botany) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/534761/sensitive-plant