Global Regional Plant Guides

Amazon Lowland Rainforest & Floodplain Plant Survival Guide

A comprehensive survival plant guide for Amazon Lowland Rainforest & Floodplain, covering useful woody materials, land foods, aquatic foods, traditional-use plants and poisonous look-alikes.

All plant guides

Cover of Amazon Lowland Rainforest & Floodplain Plant Survival Guide

Continent: South America
USDA-equivalent zones: 11-13
Köppen climate: Af / Am
Profiles: 20
Regional biome: Terra firme forest, varzea, igapo and river margin

Download PDF (17 pages)

Print-ready · US Letter · clickable sources

Useful plants · 5 Land edibles · 5 Aquatic edibles · 3 Traditional-use · 3 Poisonous look-alikes · 4

Useful plants

Wood, fibre, shelter and craft

Guadua bamboo

Guadua angustifolia and related spp.

Useful plants

Identify: Large hollow segmented culms; branch thorns in some species; broad grass leaves.
Habitat: Tropical American riverbanks, foothills and disturbed forest.
Season: Culms year-round; shoots rainy season.
Field use: Exceptional material for shelter, containers, water tubes, traps, arrow shafts, bows in laminated designs and friction-fire sets; young shoots of selected species require boiling.
Caution: Fresh culms can split explosively in fire. Species and shoot cyanide levels vary.
Look-alikes: Woody reeds are smaller and lack robust branching culms.

constructioncontainerarrow shaftbow drillfood shoot

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Kapok / ceiba

Ceiba pentandra

Useful plants

Identify: Massive buttressed trunk; palmate leaves; large pods releasing silky floss.
Habitat: Tropical American and African lowland forest and river margins.
Season: Floss and pods seasonal; wood year-round.
Field use: Floss bulks tinder and insulation; light wood is easy to carve for floats, containers and bow-drill hearths.
Caution: Floss ignites quickly but also spreads sparks. Large trees may be culturally protected.
Look-alikes: Balsa has simple heart-shaped leaves and no palmate leaflets.

tinderinsulationfloatbow drill board

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Balsa

Ochroma pyramidale

Useful plants

Identify: Very large heart-shaped leaves; pale flowers; elongated pods with silky fibers; extremely light wood.
Habitat: Tropical American riverbanks, gaps and secondary forest.
Season: Wood year-round; floss seasonal.
Field use: Very light wood for floats, rafts, containers and friction-fire hearth boards; floss is tinder.
Caution: Weak for load-bearing structures. Fast-growing trees can shed limbs.
Look-alikes: Cecropia has palmately lobed leaves and hollow stems.

floatraftbow drill boardtinder

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Cecropia

Cecropia spp.

Useful plants

Identify: Large palmately lobed leaves pale beneath; ringed hollow stems; finger-like fruiting spikes.
Habitat: Tropical American forest gaps, roadsides and river edges.
Season: Year-round.
Field use: Hollow stems can form tubes, floats and light containers; dry soft wood can be friction-fire material.
Caution: Ant colonies often inhabit stems. Fruit and medicinal use vary by species and are excluded without local expertise.
Look-alikes: Papaya leaves are deeply lobed but grow in a crown on one trunk.

containerfloatbow drill board

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Peach palm

Bactris gasipaes

Useful plants

Identify: Clumping palm often armed with dark spines; pinnate leaves; dense clusters of orange-red fruits.
Habitat: Humid tropical American lowlands and old cultivation sites.
Season: Fruit seasonal; stems year-round.
Field use: Boiled ripe fruit is high-energy food; hard palm wood makes spear points, bows and durable tools.
Caution: Fruit must be cooked; spines cause serious injury. Harvest ownership and cultural rights matter.
Look-alikes: Astrocaryum palms are also spiny but have different fruit clusters.

food fruitbow woodspeartools

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Land edibles

Terrestrial food species

Açaí palm

Euterpe oleracea

Land-based edible plants

Identify: Multi-stem slender palm; pinnate leaves; many small purple-black fruits in hanging clusters.
Habitat: Amazonian floodplain and swamp forest.
Season: Fruit seasonal; stems year-round.
Field use: Fruit pulp is documented food; palm fibers and stems support light construction.
Caution: Fruit processing needs clean water; palm-heart harvest kills stems and is not recommended.
Look-alikes: Other Euterpe species and dark palm fruits require local confirmation.

food fruitfiberconstruction

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Buriti / moriche palm

Mauritia flexuosa

Land-based edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Buriti / moriche palm

Identify: Large fan palm; brown scaly oval fruits; commonly forms swamp groves.
Habitat: Amazon, Orinoco and Guiana savanna wetlands.
Season: Fruit seasonal; leaves year-round.
Field use: Fruit pulp is documented food; leaves provide thatch, cordage, baskets and floats.
Caution: Wet palm groves can conceal deep mud, caimans and contaminated water.
Look-alikes: Carnauba has fan leaves but drier habitat and different fruit.

food fruitthatchcordagebasketry

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Guava

Psidium guajava

Land-based edible plants

Identify: Opposite oval leaves with strong parallel side veins; smooth peeling bark; white brush flowers; aromatic fruit.
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical disturbed ground, forest edge and river terraces.
Season: Fruit varies by climate; wood year-round.
Field use: Ripe fruit is documented food; hard close-grained wood makes pegs, handles and friction-fire spindles.
Caution: Fruit can host insects and feral plants may be sprayed. Leaves are not a substitute for medical care.
Look-alikes: Other Myrtaceae share opposite leaves; fruit odor and flower structure help confirm.

food fruithandlesbow drill spindle

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Wild passionfruits

Passiflora spp.

Land-based edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Wild passionfruits

Identify: Tendrilled vine; distinctive radial flowers; round to oval fruits; leaves often lobed.
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical forest edge, thicket and riverbank.
Season: Fruit seasonal.
Field use: Fully ripe fruit of confirmed edible species is documented food; vines can provide temporary lashings.
Caution: Many species have cyanogenic leaves or unpalatable fruit. Eat only known ripe fruit, not unknown foliage.
Look-alikes: Cucurbit vines have separate flower structure and rough stems.

food fruitlashing

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Papaya

Carica papaya

Land-based edible plants

Identify: Soft unbranched hollow trunk; crown of deeply lobed leaves; large fruits attached near the trunk.
Habitat: Tropical clearings, river terraces and abandoned cultivation.
Season: Fruit year-round in warm climates.
Field use: Fully ripe fruit is documented food; black seeds are peppery but used sparingly. Green fruit is cooked in established cuisines.
Caution: Milky latex can irritate skin and may affect pregnancy or medications. Avoid wild fruit contaminated by animals.
Look-alikes: Cecropia has woody branching stems and finger-like fruits.

food fruitfood green

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Aquatic edibles

Water-margin food species

Amazon water lilies

Victoria amazonica / Nymphaea spp.

Water and wetland edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Amazon water lilies

Identify: Large floating leaves; showy flowers; seeds and thick underwater structures depending genus.
Habitat: Warm floodplain lakes and slow tropical rivers.
Season: Seeds and flowers seasonal.
Field use: Seeds and selected rhizomes have documented food use after local species-specific preparation.
Caution: Large leaves hide deep water and animals. Raw tissues and unknown Nymphaeaceae should not be eaten.
Look-alikes: Aquatic aroids may have arrow-shaped leaves and irritating sap.

food seedfood starch

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Tropical arrowheads

Sagittaria guayanensis and related spp.

Water and wetland edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Tropical arrowheads

Identify: Arrow to oval leaves rising from shallow water; three-petaled white flowers; some produce tubers.
Habitat: Floodplains, marshes and slow tropical water.
Season: Tubers seasonal.
Field use: Tubers of confirmed edible species are documented food after cooking.
Caution: Species vary in tuber production; wetlands may contain parasites and toxic aroids.
Look-alikes: Arrow arum and other aroids have spadix-and-spathe flowers.

food tuber

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Water spinach

Ipomoea aquatica

Water and wetland edible plants

Identify: Hollow creeping stems; arrow to lance leaves; pale morning-glory flowers.
Habitat: Warm freshwater ditches, ponds and slow rivers; native or invasive.
Season: Warm season.
Field use: Tender shoots are a documented cooked green.
Caution: Raw plants can carry parasites and sewage pathogens; avoid polluted water and check invasive-species law.
Look-alikes: Water hemlock has divided leaves and umbels, not morning-glory flowers.

food green

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Traditional-use

Documented traditional medicine

Copaiba trees

Copaifera spp.

Medicinal and traditional-use plants

Identify: Large forest trees with paired leaflets and resin canals; small flowers and pod fruits.
Habitat: Amazon and tropical South American forest.
Season: Resin and wood year-round.
Field use: Resin has documented traditional external and technical uses; wood serves construction and fuel.
Caution: Tapping requires expertise and permission. Ingesting resin can cause illness and drug interactions.
Look-alikes: Many legumes have paired leaflets; bark tapping without identification is unsafe.

resinmedicinefuel

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Cat’s-claw vine

Uncaria tomentosa and related spp.

Medicinal and traditional-use plants

Stylized form diagram for Cat’s-claw vine

Identify: Woody climbing vine with paired curved hook-like spines at nodes and opposite leaves.
Habitat: Amazonian and Andean foothill forest.
Season: Stems year-round.
Field use: Strong vines have lashing uses; bark has documented regional medicinal use.
Caution: Do not self-dose; pregnancy, immune and medication interactions are concerns. Several Uncaria species differ.
Look-alikes: Other hook-bearing lianas and rattan palms may resemble it.

lashingmedicine

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Dragon’s-blood tree

Croton lechleri

Medicinal and traditional-use plants

Stylized form diagram for Dragon’s-blood tree

Identify: Pale-barked tree; large heart-shaped leaves; red latex exudes from cuts.
Habitat: Amazonian forest gaps and river slopes.
Season: Latex and wood year-round.
Field use: Red latex has documented regional external use and can seal small non-food containers.
Caution: Latex is not sterile and internal dosing is not advised. Croton species may have irritating or toxic sap.
Look-alikes: Other latex trees may exude white or clear sap.

sealantmedicine

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Poisonous look-alikes

Do not eat — verify before harvest

Manchineel

Hippomane mancinella

Poisonous plants

Identify: Coastal tree with glossy oval leaves, small green flowers and apple-like green-yellow fruit; milky sap.
Habitat: Caribbean and tropical American beaches and coastal forest.
Season: Year-round.
Field use: No use.
Caution: Sap and fruit are severely toxic and blistering; rain dripping from leaves and smoke from burning wood can injure.
Look-alikes: Sea grape has large round leaves with red veins and grape-like fruit clusters.

poison

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Dumbcane

Dieffenbachia spp.

Poisonous plants

Identify: Large variegated leaves on cane-like stems; green-white spadix and spathe; clear to milky sap.
Habitat: Tropical American forest understory and disturbed wet ground.
Season: Year-round.
Field use: No food use.
Caution: Calcium oxalate crystals cause intense mouth swelling, pain and possible airway compromise.
Look-alikes: Edible aroids require exact identification and cooking.

poison

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Sandbox tree

Hura crepitans

Poisonous plants

Identify: Tall tree with dark conical trunk spines, heart-shaped leaves and pumpkin-like segmented capsules.
Habitat: Tropical American lowland forest and riverbanks.
Season: Year-round.
Field use: No food use. Wood handling is specialized.
Caution: Milky sap is caustic and fruit explodes forcefully, scattering poisonous seeds.
Look-alikes: Kapok has trunk spines when young but palmate leaves and floss-filled pods.

poison

POWO photos iNaturalist photos

Toxic Strychnos vines and trees

Strychnos spp.

Poisonous plants

Stylized form diagram for Toxic Strychnos vines and trees

Identify: Opposite leaves with strong curved veins; tendrils or woody stems; round fruits vary by species.
Habitat: Tropical forest and savanna.
Season: Year-round.
Field use: No food use unless a local expert identifies a known edible species.
Caution: The genus includes plants with strychnine-type toxins. Fruit appearance is not enough to judge safety.
Look-alikes: Edible monkey oranges are region-specific Strychnos and still require expert confirmation.

poison

POWO photos iNaturalist photos