IN THE GARDEN
© HOWARD RICE
for wildlife including insects, reptiles, birds and mammals, but also block out light to cast dense shade across the rainforest floor. An understorey of emerging saplings grows in cooler, shady conditions, and here seedlings may grow to plug the canopy where gaps appear. The lowest layer is dark, formed from decaying roots and rotting plant matter that form a moisture- retentive, humus-rich forest floor. Together, these layers make up a complex habitat containing an array of highly adapted plants. What is a tropical plant? Tropical plants have evolved to suit shady, hot, humid conditions, in which annual rainfall is high and temperatures remain constant, usually between 26 and 29°C.
TROPICAL ZONE The colours of tropical plants often mesmerise those that find them. Going clockwise from bottom left: the torch ginger ( Etlingera elatior ), the Cypripedium tibeticum , the arum lily ( Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Crowborough’) and the jade vine ( Strongylodon macrobotrys )
68 AUGUST 2026 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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