Climbing flowering plants
Climbing mechanism
Climbers are plants that have abandoned the free-standing habit and instead crawl, grasp, twine and curl round other plants, mainly trees. The tropical rainforest abounds in climbers, an uncommon feature in temperate forests. Malaysia's forests are home to about 1,000 species, which make up 8 per cent of the country's flowering plant flora. There is an incredible variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from the delicate, thin-stemmed herbaceous creepers to the sturdy, woody perennial climbers. If growth is unrestricted, climbers choke up forest clearings and pull down trees. In Malaysia, however, climbers are a source of food, medicine and raw material for furniture and handicrafts.
- Information in the full article includes
- Malaysian climbers
- Habit and habitat
- Adaptive features
- Economic uses