Palms, shrubs, vines, and mosses growing in the buttressed roots of the Blue Quandong tree (Elaeocarpus grandis). Buttressed roots are a common feature of subtropical rainforests.
Palms are another feature of the subtropical rainforest. Young Bangalow palms (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) growing up.
Lichens can be seen growing on the trunks of the Bangalow palms.
Tree ferns are common and these have grown up in the understory of the forest. This one is Cyathea cooperi.
These are birds nest ferns (Asplenium australasicum). These beautiful epiphytic ferns grow on trees or on rocks.
The staghorn (Platycerium superbum) above is another epiphytic fern growing on the trunk of a tree which are common in our rainforest.
Figs are widespread in subtropical rainforests. The seeds of these plants will often be carried by birds and start growing in the branches of other trees. You can see the young fig growing around this tree as the roots grow down from where the seed germinated and surround the trunk, hence the name of strangler fig.
This fig above is growing on another fig tree, in fact there are two or three figs growing on top of each other.
This beautiful coolamon tree (Syzygium moorei) has flowers that grow directly from the trunk or branches. This is called cauliflory and is a feature of the rainforest.
These vines in the photo above are growing right across our creek. Thick woody vines are a common feature of subtropical rainforest.
A climbing fern on a tree trunk (above)
Marianne Logan's site 