Tropical flora encompasses the incredibly diverse, dense, and evergreen plant life found in warm, humid regions near the equator, characterized by high biodiversity and rapid growth. These ecosystems, primarily rainforests, feature immense canopy trees, vascular epiphytes, and understory plants adapted to low light. Common examples include palms, orchids, bromeliads, ferns, and banana plants.
Rainforest vegetation can often be categorized into five layers. The top layer is the emergents, the upper tree layer, with the largest and widest trees in all the forest, commonly 50 m (160 ft) and higher. These trees tend to have very large canopies so they can be fully exposed to sunlight. A layer below that is the canopy, or middle tree layer, averaging 30–40 m (98–131 ft) in height.
