Tropical rainforests grow in places where the weather is hot, sunny, and there is a large amount of rainfall. Most of these forests grow in the tropical regions on the Earth which are near the equator. The warm sunny, moist conditions in a tropical rainforest are ideal for plant growth. When seeds germinate on the forest floor the seedlings grow quickly to find a place in the light.

The forest trees have tall trunks which form a crown of branches up to thirty metres above the forest floor. The crowns of the trees grow close together to form a leafy canopy which prevents most of the light from reaching the ground.

Some plants grow up the sides of the tree trunks to reach the sunny canopy while some plants live on the branches of the trees and sow their seeds there. These plants complete their life cycle without spending any time on the forest floor.

The huge number of plants in a rainforest provide food for an equally huge number of animals.