Five Plant Adaptations

1. Leaf Size
Plants in the lowest part of the rainforest are short
and grow close to the ground. Since very little light gets to
this part of the rainforest, these plants adapted to have
very large leaves. The sizable surface area of their leaves
allows them to catch as much light as possible, which
helps them survive.

2. Poisonous Parts
Many tropical rainforest plants are poisonous,
an adaptation to the presence of many herbivorous
animals in the tropical rainforest. If an animal eats
part of a plant that is poisonous, the animal will
either get sick or die. Either way, the rest of the plant
survives.

3. Brightly Colored Flowers

The floor of the rainforest is dimly lit, so flowers in
muted tones would be hard for insects to see. The brightly
colored blooms of rainforest plants allow bees and other
pollinators to easily see and find them for pollination.

4. Reproducing Without Seeds

While desert plants can reproduce by seeds, some don’t
have to reproduce that way. For example, some cacti will break off
pieces of themselves. These pieces can root and form new cacti
rather than having to start from seeds. Since seeds require water
to sprout, there would not be as many cacti in the desert without
this adaptation.
5. Resistance to Root Rot
The roots of plants that grow in boggy conditions stay
wet or damp all the time. As a result, plants that are able to
survive in these conditions, such as ferns, cattails and
swamp sunflowers, have adapted a resistance to root rot.