There are magnificent trees in the tropical rainforest along Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast: rubber trees, eucalyptus trees, walking palms, coconut palms, garlic trees. Many of them are very old, but it isn't easy to date them. Because they are continually growing, there are no "growth rings" as there are in the trees of northern forests.

Some of the trees put out large buttress root systems that are very shallow - all the nourishment is in the top of the soil. Underneath it's volcanic rock.