Conduction of Rainfall by Plant Stems in a Tropical Rain Forest

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Abstract
The amount of rainfall recorded by a rain gage in operation on Barro Colorado Island, Canal Zone, was compared with the amt. of water collected by tin cups placed around the stems of tropical plants growing in a clearing and in the forest. During a 13-day period in Aug., 1938, a cup on a leafless control stem collected 80 to 104.2% as much water as the rain gage. Cups on an Annona tree and a Myriocarpa tree received 310.5 to 1151.5 and 512.5 to 1103.1%, respectively. Two cups in tandem on Nothopanax received water in proportion to the amt. of stem and leaf area involved, which was less than the other stations. The amount of water available on the stems of tropical plants during the rainy season is sufficient to support a growth of epiphytes and therefore does not seem to be the factor responsible for the lack of epiphytes on many trees.