Many rainforest trees are lived and must evolve slowly. Ecophysiological constrains conditioned by past evolutionary history can be expected.
Since the world depends on so few plant species for food, humankind is vulnerable to environmental changes and crop disease.
Medicines ranging from anesthetics to antibiotics, from contraceptives to cures for heart disease, have been extracted from rainforest flora. An estimated 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients yet less than 1% of rainforest plants have been tested for their medicinal properties.
The US National Cancer Institute has identified 3000 plants that are active against cancer cells and 70% of these plants are found in the rainforest. Steroids have been found in rainforest plants which help women overcome sterility.
Many of the rainforest plants are highly nutritional. The kiwi fruit, discovered in rainforest of South-East Asia, is 15 to 18 times richer in vitamin C than oranges.
Rainforest flora
