Flora and Fauna of Rio’s Epic Jardim Botânico
Rio de Janeiro’s massive botanical garden will save you a trip to the jungle. Make sure to grab a map on your way in, you won’t want to miss any piece of plant heaven on earth.
Visit Rio’s massive botanical garden, Jardim Botânico, on a day when the temperatures are mild and your feet are ready to stroll. You’re going to walk around 5 miles if you visit every nook and cranny, this place is massive! Take lots of breaks and drink lots of “agua com gas” (sparkling water in Portuguese) if you go on a day when it’s 111º outside.
Imperial Palms
Imperial Palms grace the logo of Jardim Bôtanico and are the first spectacular thing you’ll encounter after entering the gardens. An epic black iron fountain sits in the middle of the palm trees. The imperials also have air plants attached to their trunks. You can hear birds and monkeys making noise way up top.
Torch Ginger Flowers
Torch ginger flowers are splendid with their rose pink heads towering over the jungle foliage below. They’re actually a perennial herb and an important ingredient across Southeast Asia. We didn’t see this flower in any Brazilian dishes, but did see it in some areas of Rio.
Cannonball Trees
Cannonball Trees are native to Central and South America, and come with vivacious pink flowers that play a part in the tree’s seed dispersal. Native Amazonians use parts of the tree for medicinal purposes. You may also recognize these trees from India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia, where they have a more religious significance. Keep your eye out for cannonball trees after you leave the garden – they’re everywhere!
Jackfruit
American’s know Jackfruit from Trader Joe’s – where you can buy a can and cook it as a replacement for pork. Outside of Rio you’ll find fresh, whole jackfruit sold by roadside vendors. We didn’t see jackfruit on a single menu during our stay. However, we did find it sold by the roadside outside of Rio. You may notice a horrible stench near the jackfruit trees, it’s likely a fallen fruit making it’s way back into the circle of life.
Dragonflies
Pink Dragonflies are everywhere in the garden’s dense forest region. I don’t know why these dragonflies are pink. However, I do know they eat mosquitoes.
The Orchideario “Orchid Greenhouse” is a place you could spend hours in. There are magnificent, rare orchids complemented by a smaller collection of bromeliads. You won’t find orchids like these back in the United States, or many other places in the world.