BIOL 5535 and 4035

NEOTROPICAL RAINFOREST ECOLOGY

Representative Tropical Plant Families in the Amazon Flooded Forest

Class

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Family

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Examples

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Genera

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Growth form

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Pollination

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Dispersal

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Uses

ANGIOSPERMS
Magnoliopsida / Annonaceae / Custard apples / 36 / Trees, shrubs / Beetles / Zoo1, auto / Fruit
(DICOTS) / Lauraceae / Avocado, Mezilaurus / 15 / Trees, shrubs, aromatic bark and foliage / Endozoo / Fruit, hardwood (itauba)
Piperaceae / Peppers / 6 / Shrubs, epiphytes / A/o.2, bees / Endozoo / Pepper, cultiv houseplant
Nymphaeaceae / Water lilies, Victoria amazonica / 3 / Aquatic, floating / A/o., beetles / Ornitho, hydro / Ornamental
Moraceae / Figs, strangler figs / 20 / Trees, shrubs, white latex, often hemi-epiphytes / Anemophilous / Birds, bats, monkeys / Fruit, hardwood
Cecropiaceae /

Cecropia

/ 3 / Trees, shrubs, watery sap turns black in air / A/o., anemophilous / Endzoo / (Ant-plant)
Cactaceae /

Epiphyllum, Strophocactus

/ 87 / Mostly epiphyte / A/o., bats / Fruit, ornamental
Polygonaceae /

Cocoloba

/ 15 / Lianas, trees, shrubs / Endozoo, anemo, hydro / Hardwood
Theaceae / Teas / 6 / Trees, shrubs / Anemo, endozoo / Tea
Marcgraviaceae / 5 / Lianas, wet lowlands / Hummingbirds, bats, butterflies / Endozoo
Guttiferae (Clusiaceae) /

Clusia

/ 24 / Trees, shrubs, hemi-epiphytes, stilt roots / A/o., hummingbirds / Endozoo, synzoo / Edible fruit, hardwood
Sterculiaceae /

Theobroma

/ 16 / Trees, shrubs / Auto, zoo / Chocolate
Bombacaceae /

Ceiba, Pseudobombax, Pachira

/ 13 / Trees, very soft wood, emergents / Birds, bats, moths / Anemo, zoo / Kapok, balsa
Malvaceae /

Hibiscus

/ 50 / Herbs, shrubs / Bees / Zoo / Fruit, ornamental, (cotton)
Lecythidaceae / Bertholletia, Couratari, Gustavia, Lecythis, Eschweilleria / 11 / Trees, emergents / Entomophilous / Synzoo, anemo, hydro, baro / Brazilnut seeds, hardwood
Bixaceae /

Bixa

/ 1 / Shrubs, trees / Endozoo / Annatto coloring
Violaceae / Viola / 13 / Trees, shrubs, herbs / Auto, endozoo, anemo, hydro / Timber
Passifloraceae / Passiflora / 4 / Lianas, climbing herbs / Endozoo / Fruit
Begoniaceae / Begonia / 1 / Epiphytic herbs / Ornamental
Sapotaceae / Manilkara / 12 / Trees, white latex / Endozoo / Fruit, timber, latex, gum
Ebenaceae / Persimmon / 1 / Trees, shrubs, black bark with yellow inner / Endozoo / Fruit, timber
Mimosaceae /

Acacia, Inga, Parkia

/ 35 / Trees, shrubs, lianas, legumes, canopy / Butterflies, hawkmoths, bats / Anemo, zoo, hydro, auto / Edible seeds, ornamentals
Caesalpiniaceae / Bauhinia, Cassia, Crudia, Macrolobium, Pithecellobium / 40 / Trees, shrubs, legumes, canopy / Insects, bats, hummingbirds / Zoo, anemo, auto, hydro / Timber
Papilionaceae /

Clitoria, Ormosia, Swartzia

/ 130 / Trees, shrubs, lianas, legumes, canopy / Insects, bats, hummingbirds / Hydro, anemo, zoo / Timber
Myrtaceae / Psidium (guava), [Eucalyptus] / 26 / Trees, shrubs, aromatic / Endozoo / Fruit, [wood, charcoal]
Melastomataceae / Melastomes / 130 / Herbs, shrubs, trees, climbers, epiphytes / A/o., bees / Auto, endozoo, exozoo, anemo / Ornamentals, fruit
Combretaceae / 7 / Trees, shrubs, lianas, mangroves / Zoo, anemo, hydro / Ornamentals, timber
Loranthaceae /

Psittacanthus

/ 10 / Hemiparasitic shrubs / Insects, hummingbirds / Endozoo / Large flw mistletoes
Viscaceae /

Phoradendron

/ 2 / Herb or hemi-parasitic shrubs / Entomo, anemo / Small flw mistletoes
Euphorbiaceae / Hevea, Manihot / 92 / Trees, shrubs, lianas, herbs, white latex / Endozo, auto / Rubber, manioc, timber
Malpighiaceae / Byrsonema / 44 / Lianas, shrubs, trees / Anemo. endozoo, auto, hydro / Fruit
Polygalaceae / Milkworts / 9 / Herbs, shrubs, lianas, trees / Endozoo, anemo, hydro
Sapindaceae /

Paullinia, Sapindus

/ 32 / Trees, shrubs, lianas / Endozoo, anemo, hydro / Guarana, soapberry
Anacardiaceae /

Anacardium

/ 27 / Trees, shrubs, resin or latex / A/o., bees, moths, beetles / Anemo, zoo / Cashew, timber, mango [poison ivy]
Simaroubaceae / Simaba / 8 / Shrubs, trees, bitter bark / Endozoo, anemo, hydro / Malaria, ornamental
Meliaceae / Swietenia / 8 / Trees, aromatic / Synzoo, endozoo, hydro, anemo / Mahogany, ornamentals
Rutaceae / Citrus / 16 / Trees, shrubs / Auto, zoo / Citrus fruits, medicinal
Loganiaceae / Strychnos / 14 / Trees, shrubs, lianas / Anemo, endozoo / Ornamentals, curare, strychnine
Apocynaceae / Mandevilla (dogbane), Aspidosperma / 66 / Trees, shrubs, lianas, white latex / Butterflies, bees / Anemo, hydro, zoo / Ornamental, medicinal (e.g., Vinca)
Asclepiadaceae / Milkweeds / 49 / Lianas, herbs / A/o., bees, butterflies / Anemo / Ornamental
Solanaceae /

Lycopersicon

/ 67 / Herbs, shrubs, trees / A/o., insects, bats / Endozoo / Red pepper, tomato, tobacco, potato
Convolvulaceae / Ipomoea / 21 / Twining (sometimes parasitic) herbs, lianas, occasionally trees, shrubs / Auto, endozoo / Morning glory, edible tubers
Verbenaceae / Lantana, Vitex, Avicennia, Verbena / 25 / Herbs, woody plants, occasionally lianas, mangrove / Entomophilous / Endozoo, anemo / Ornamental, timber
Lamiaceae / Salvinia / 27 / Herbs, shrubs, quad stems / Insects, hummingbirds / Mints
Bignoniaceae /

Crescentia, Tabebuia

/ 72 / Lianas, shrubs, trees / Bees, bats, moths, hummingbirds, butterflies / Anemo, hydro, endozoo / Calabash, ornamental, timbers
Rubiaceae / Cinchona, Psychotria / 212 / Shrubs, herbs, trees, occasionally climbing, epiphyte / Insects, bats, hummingbirds / Zoo, anemo / Quinine, coffee, ornamentals
Asteraceae / 589 / Herbs, shrubs, vines, trees / Entomophilous, anemophilous / Anemo / Ornamentals, vegetables
Liliopsida (MONOCOTS) / Alismataceae / Sagittaria / Aquatic and semi-aquatic herbs
Arecaceae / Astrocarium, Bactris, Euterpe, Mauritia, Piassava / 60 / Palm trees, shrubs, mostly lowland / Endozoo, synzoo / Leaves, fibers, edible fruit, palm oil
Araceae / Philodendron, Monstera, Montrichardria, Anthuria / 38 / Herbs, ephiphytes, vines with aerial roots / A/o., beetles / Ornamentals, vegetables
Lemnaceae /

Lemna, Wolffia

/ 4 / Small, free-floating aquatics in fresh water
Cyperaceae / Cyperus, Fimbristyllis / 26 / Grasslike herbs, floating meadow communities / Anemophilous / Matting, canoes, feed
Poaceae / Grasses / 207 / Grasses, floating meadows / Anemophilous / Cereals, rice
Bromeliaceae / Bromeliads / 50 / Herbs, epiphytes / Hummingbirds, bats / Anemo, zoo / Fruit, ornamental
Musaceae (Heliconiaceae) / Heliconia, bananas / 2 / Large herbs (>10 m) / Hummingbirds / Zoo / Ornamental (lobster claw), cult fruit (banana - Musa)
Zingiberaceae / Ginger, Costus / 1 / Perennial herbs / Insects, hummingbirds / Endozoo / Cultivated
Orchidaceae / Cattleya, Epidendrum, Maxillaria, Oncidium, Catasetum, Brassavola, Pleurothallis, Galleandra / 300 / Epiphytic, terrestrial herbs / Bees, wasps, beetles, hummingbirds, bats / Anemo / Cultivated, vanilla
FERNS AND FERN ALLIES
Lycopodiopsida / Selaginellaceae / Selaginella / 1 / Terrestrial, terra firme / Ornamental

1 Zoo, auto, endozoo, etc. all prefixes to –chorous, relating to mode of dispersal

2 A.o. = among others