Climbers - they want to get to the top

Climbers are used in The Glasshouse to add height and because many have dramatic flowers. The different ways they twine and cling to the supports also adds interest.

Climbing plants can be found all over the world, wherever there are other plants to support them.

More than 100 families of plants include climbers; among them orchids, palms, ferns and even some bamboos.

Climbers don’t put energy into making strong supporting stems. Instead, they make an extensive root system so they are able to grow fast and produce spectacular flowers and fleshy fruit.

The jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys, right) comes from the Philippines where it can reach 20m (70ft) into the forest canopy.

Plants use one or more of the following methods for climbing:
Stems twine around tree trunks or branches
Tiny adventitious roots grow out of the stem into surfaces like walls or tree bark
Long aerial roots twine round branches and absorb moisture from the air
Leaves or stems are adapted to form coiled tendrils
Suckers attach strongly to flat surfaces
Spines hook onto their hosts

The long stems of lianas (woody climbing plants that hangs from trees, especially in tropical rain forests) are used by animals to travel from tree to tree and by people for making baskets and ropes.

The familiar Swiss cheese plant, Monstera deliciosa , is one of the plants displayed in the Tropical Zone, showing how large they can get.

Look out for the exotic passion flowers (Passiflora) in the Tropical Zone as well as conservatory plants like bougainvillea (Bougainvillea) and jasmine (Jasminum) in the Temperate Zone.

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