4 of 10 Buttresses are parts of the trunks of tropical trees. They spread out from the trunk like a hand with many fingers. They are very characteristic of tropical rain forests that have high rainfall and high temperature and low altitude.
Buttresses begin when the tree is young and increase in size and number as the tree grows.
The families of Dipterocarpaceae, Leguminosae, and Sterculiaceae include many species that normally have large buttresses. Bombacaceae, the family which includes Bomba spp. During our class trip we learned about Cieba pentandra extensively. The Kapok tree is an emergent. This means it rises high above the rest of the forest canopy and stands head and shoulders above its neighbors.