LIANA (lee-AH-nuh)
A
woody vine which climbs trees for support
Common
clues: Tropical vine;
Jungle vine; Climbing plant; Rain forest vine; Tropical creeper
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
once a year
News:
Tarzan
and the flying apes
Video:
Vanuatu
Land Divers
A
liana is a woody climber that starts at ground level, and uses
trees to climb up to the canopy where it spreads from tree to
tree to get as much light as possible. Lianas are especially
characteristic of tropical moist deciduous forests and
rainforests. These climbers often form bridges between the forest
canopy, connect the entire forest and provide arboreal animals
with paths across the forest. There are also temperate lianas,
however, for example the members of the genus Clematis.
Well-known lianas include Arnold, Monkey Ladder and Water Vine.
Monkey
Ladder vine canopy
Lianas
are useful navigation tools for arboreal species such as lemurs.
For example, in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar, many
prosimians achieve higher mobility from the web of lianas draped
amongst the vertical tree species. Some lianas are strong enough
to support the weight of a human.
Note
that "liana" is not a taxonomic grouping, but rather a
description of the way the plant grows, and lianas may be found
in many different plant families.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Liana".
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