ABSTRACT:

On one such collecting trip I saw a plant growing in lowland wet forest outside BriBri in the province of Limo´n, Costa Rica which I knew to be special. It was growing about 5 feet off the forest floor on the trunk of a fairly small tree, the trunk only a couple of inches in diameter. It looked like a small bird’s nest type Anthurium, but with an elongated stem such that the plant wrapped around the tree in a slow spiral (Plate 1 A). There was a certain grace to the whole growth habit. But what appealed to me even more were the clusters of roots growing out from the stem at each node, just above the leaf (Plate 1 D). It was such a perfect example of a trash basket root system (tufts of vertical roots that trap debris from above, which leach out nutrients with each rain for the roots to absorb, and also holds moisture) – so ready for use as a teaching tool. I collected the plant, and thorough cleaning, and paperwork all in order, allowed it to come back with me. Two pieces both put out new roots and new shoots, and were mounted onto trees in rain forest simulations of the two institutions that had contributed to my travel.