The Chime tree gets its name from the rattling sound of its bean-like fruit when it dries. The chime has yellow flowers that grow in clusters and delicate, shaggy foliage.
The daffodil tree is a small evergreen tree also known as the lucky nut. It is named for its bell-shaped yellow flowers. The tree produces flowers throughout the year, and is known for its rapid growth rate.
Probably one of the best-known tropical plants, the fern tree is tall and slender and gets its name from the fern-like resemblance of its leaves. Fern trees produce large yellow flowers. They're also known as Brazilian fire trees.
The amber tree is so named because it produces the resin that hardens into amber. The tree produces heart-shaped, emerald green flowers and also a multitude of white flowers.
The coconut tree, or coconut palm, is an iconic symbol of the tropics. These trees grow to 50 to 80 feet high and have long feathery branches that can be as much as 17 feet long. Many types of coconut trees exist, all of varying sizes, but all of them have the same basic appearance: a long, slender trunk topped with a tuft of long, green leaves. Trees can produce as many as 50 coconuts at once. They grow in rainforests throughout the world.
The Durian is indigenous to Southeast Asia, mostly Borneo, Malaysia and Indonesia. Durians grow 90 to 130 feet tall, with trunks as much as 4 feet in diameter. The bark is dark and the leaves are leathery in texture and dark green in color. The leaves usually measure between 1 and 3 inches wide and from 2 to 10 inches long. Durian fruit is oval-shaped, about 12 by 6 inches in size. Durians can live as long as 150 years.
Jambu trees are native to the area between southern India and Malaya. Jambu trees are rather small, usually only growing about 20 feet high. They have a short, crooked trunk and a lot of branches that grow close to the ground. The leaves are pink at first and later turn light green on top and yellow-green on the bottom. Jambus have small, pear-shaped fruit with a juicy sweet taste.
Kapok Trees are originally from South America, but have spread to Africa, Southeast Asia, Malaya and Indonesia. They have straight, cylindrical, smooth, gray-colored trunks that can grow to diameters of around 9 feet. The branches create a crown at the top that looks like an open umbrella. Flowers sprout before leaves, and are known for their unpleasant odor.
Mangroves grow in environments where rainforest meets ocean. They are adapted to grow in a wetlands environment uncomfortable for other plants. Mangroves are located mostly in Southeast Asia. They have a distinctive appearance; their "aerial roots" extend up out of the ground, giving the trees the appearance of being suspended on stilts. Aerial roots are adapted to protect the trees from the salt water that flows in and out with the tides. Mangrove roots filter salt into the plant's leaves, which the plant sheds, effectively removing the salt.
Tualang trees are one of the most common trees in Southeast Asian rainforests. They can reach up to 250 feet in height, with a feathery crown of pinnate leaves made up of 4-5 leaflets. Tualang trees are related to peas. Like peas, they grow seedpods that are also visible in their crowns. Huge buttresses growing at the bottom of the trunk support these trees.
