The rain forests (Amazon and Atlantic) of Brazil produce beautiful flowering plants, such as the orchid, a strong smelling and brightly-colored flower; the heliconia, which is native to the Americas and has bracts in the shape of lobster claws; and the candle bush, a bright-yellow plant also native to the Amazon rain forest. The water lily can be found on top of still lakes and other bodies of water and is the largest flower in the world, according to the Amazon Rain Forest Organization website.
Plants such as avocados, figs, oranges, pineapples, avocados, coconuts, figs, lemons, grapefruit, bananas, mangos and tomatoes grow in the rain forests of Brazil and according to the Fresh Water Aquarium Plants website there are several thousand more types of fruits to choose from. Like fruit plants, vegetable plants, such as corn, potatoes, squash and yams, also are plentiful in the rain forest.
Vines provide a great deal of the plant life in the Brazilian rain forests; vines include creepers, climbing vines and lianas, the vine a monkey might use to travel from tree to tree. Also located in the rain forest are strangler vines, also known as strangler fig trees. These vines wrap around the trunk of an existing tree, grow taller than its host, eventually taking its nutrients and water, which kills the host tree. Many animals and other creatures find shelter in the hollowed area where the host tree once was, making the strangler vine an important element of the rain forest.
Brazil is one of the largest producers of the cocoa tree, which grows in the humid climate of the Amazon rain forest. Cocoa, according to the WebMD website, is a good source of flavonoids, antioxidants that help the function of blood vessels. There are many more medicinal plants found in the Brazilian rain forest, such as the annatto/lipstick, which is used as an insect repellent; and the trumpet tree, which is used to treat respiratory illnesses, according to the website Thinkquest.
