Alan Watson / Buttress roots of tree (Choerospondias axillaris) and Palm (Calamus sp) in tropical rainforest, Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand.

Alan Watson / Buttress roots of an Altingia tree (Altingia excelsa) and Bracket fungi in tropical rainforest, Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand

Alan Watson / Three Leafcutter ants (Atta sp) carrying leaves on buttress of a Higueron tree (Ficus sp.) in lowland tropical rainforest, Coqui, Chocó Department, Pacific Coast, Colombia

Alan Watson / Buttress tree and Bamboo (Dendrocalamus sp) in lowland tropical rainforest, Khao Sok National Park, Surat Thani Province, Thailand

Robert Thompson / Blue lough buttress, Mourne Mountains, County Down, Northern Ireland, August 2007

Theo Allofs / Buttress root of giant fig tree in tropical rainforest, Tongkoko Reserve, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Martin Gabriel / Lichen covered buttress roots in the tidal zone, Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica

Mark Bowler / buttress roots in amazonian rainforest, Peru, april 2006

Mark Bowler / Buttress roots in amazonian rainforest, Peru, april 2006

Kevin Schafer / Buttressed rainforest tree, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Tim Laman / Buttress roots of a large Fig tree (Ficus sp.) in lowland rainforest, Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, January 2008.

Konrad Wothe / Buttress roots, Havelock Island, Andaman Islands, India

Konrad Wothe / Coastal rainforest, Havelock Island, India

Thomas Marent / Tropical rainforest with buttress tree, Masoala National Park, Madagascar

Thomas Marent / Bird's Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus) in tropical rainforest, Masoala National Park, Madagascar

Thomas Marent / Bird's Nest Fern (Asplenium sp) in tropical rainforest with buttress root, Nosy Mangabe island, Masoala National Park, Madagascar

Thomas Marent / Giant Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea) buttress roots, Ankarana Special Reserve, northern Madagascar

Thomas Marent / Buttress tree trunk, Ankarana Special Reserve, northern Madagascar

Thomas Marent / Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus sikorae) on buttress root, Montagne D'Ambre National Park, Madagascar

Tim Laman / Rainforest tree with large buttress roots. Piedras Blancas National Park, Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, Costa Rica.

Tim Laman / Rainforest tree with large buttress roots. Piedras Blancas National Park, Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, Costa Rica.

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Woka Palm (Livistona rotundifolia) buttress roots of tree and understory palms, Tangkoko Batuangus Reserve, Indonesia

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Fig (Ficus sp) buttress roots, Tangkoko Batuangus Reserve, Indonesia

Kevin Schafer / Buttress roots in rainforest interior, Guatemala

Fabio Liverani / Rainforest understorey with palm trees and aerial buttress roots, Tambopata National reserve, Amazonia, Peru

Fabio Liverani / Man beside huge buttress roots of rainforest tree, Tambopata National reserve, Amazonia, Peru

Fabio Liverani / Woman walking through rainforest understorey with palm trees and aerial buttress roots, Tambopata National reserve, Amazonia, Peru

Edwin Giesbers / Buttress roots in rainforest, Costa Rica

Edwin Giesbers / Large buttress roots in rainforest, Costa Rica

Jouan & Rius / Buttress roots of giant tree in Daintree National Park, Queensland, Australia

Jouan & Rius / Buttress roots of giant tree with man for size comparison, Tortuguero NP, Costa Rica

Jack Dykinga / Giant Fig Tree (Ficus sp) with buttress roots in tropical cloud-forest, El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Nick Upton / Buttress root of Cayi or Pacific lychee tree (Pometia pinnata) from which wooden fish plate has been cut out by Tao people, Orchid Island, Taiwan.

Jose B. Ruiz / Rubber fig tree (Ficus elastica) with buttress roots, Plaza de Gabriel Miró, Alicante, Spain

Jose B. Ruiz / Buttress roots of Rubber fig tree (Ficus elastica) in city square, Plaza de Gabriel Miró, Alicante, Spain

Jose B. Ruiz / Buttress roots of Rubber fig tree (Ficus elastica) in city square, Plaza de Gabriel Miró, Alicante, Spain

Thomas Marent / Buttress roots, Mossman Gorge, Daintree National Park, Australia

Nick Garbutt / Reticulated Python (Python reticulata) resting at the base of buttress rooted tree. Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Borneo

Nick Garbutt / Looking down on Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) resting at the base of buttress rooted tree. Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Borneo

Doug Wechsler / Kapok tree buttresses (Ceiba pentandra) Ecuador with Doug Wechselr in foreground for scale

Pete Oxford / Buttress roots of Ficus sp. Yasuni NP, Ecuador Amazonia

Michael Durham / Ancient rainforest in Endau-Rompin National Park, Malaysia

Dave Watts / Buttress roots of rainforest tree, tropical rainforest, Queensland, Australia

George McCarthy / Cypress Trees (Thuja genus) draped in Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) in swamp, Louisiana, USA

Philippe Clement / Buttress roots of Fig tree (Ficus sp), Carara NP, Costa Rica

Philippe Clement / Buttress roots of Fig tree (Ficus sp), Carara NP, Costa Rica

Philippe Clement / Buttress roots of Fig tree (Ficus sp), Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Philippe Clement / Buttress roots of Fig tree {Ficus sp}, Carara NP, Costa Rica

Ingo Arndt / Buttressed root on rainforest tree, Gombe Stream National Park, Kakombe Valley, Tanzania

Christian Ziegler / Rainforest interior showing lush vegetation trees with buttressed roots, Panama

Patricio Robles Gil / Buttressed roots in forest, Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu Archipelago, New Hebrides

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Tree with buttress roots in tropical rainforest, Peru

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Rainforest tree showing buttress roots, Ecuador

Piotr Naskrecki / Goliath Beetle (Goliathus regius) next to the buttressed roots of a Fig tree, Guinea, West Africa

Willem Kolvoort / Pterocarpus officinalis tree along river in North Suriname . 2003.

Willem Kolvoort / Pterocarpus officinalis tree along river in North Suriname . 2003.

Jean E. Roche / Roots of {Pterocarpus officinalis} tree, Guadeloupe, Caribbean 2000.

Pete Oxford / Man standing next to buttress roots of Kapok tree {Ceiba sp} Amazon, Peru, 1998

Pete Oxford / Buttress roots (Ficus sp) in Manu NP, Peru, South America

Pete Oxford / Buttress roots (Ficus sp) in Manu NP, Peru, South America

Nick Garbutt / Reticulated Python {Python reticulatus} lying on leaf-litter at base of buttress-rooted tree, Riverine forest, Sukau, Sabah, Borneo.

Nick Garbutt / Buttress tree Roots in flooded riverine forest, Kinabatangan River, Sukau, Sabah, Borneo.

Nick Garbutt / Reticulated Python {Python reticulatus} lying on leaf-litter at base of buttress-rooted tree, Riverine forest, Sukau, Sabah, Borneo.

Nick Garbutt / Reticulated Python {Python reticulatus} lying on leaf-litter at base of buttress-rooted tree, Riverine forest, Sukau, Sabah, Borneo.

Nick Garbutt / Reticulated Python {Python reticulata} lying on leaf-litter at base of buttress-rooted tree, Riverine forest, Sukau, Sabah, Borneo.

David Tipling / Person standing at buttress of emergent tree, Amazon Basin, Peru, South America

Andrew Parkinson / Roots of Giant strangler fig tree {Ficus sp} Daintree Rainforest NP, Queensland, Australia

Elio Della Ferrera / Rainforest interior with climbing plant growing up buttress roots of tree, Uduwattakele Forest reserve, Sri Lanka

DAVID TIPLING / Large buttress roots of emergent tree in lowland rainforest, Soberiana NP, Panama.

Karl Ammann / Logger felling massive tree for timber trade in Central Africa.

Justine Evans / Buttress roots of Nakatambol tree {Dracontomelon vitiense} Espirito Santo, Vanuatu, South Pacific

Justine Evans / Buttress roots of Nakatambol tree {Dracontomelon vitiense} Espirito Santo, Vanuatu

Patricio Robles Gil / Tropical rainforest interior, Espiritu Santo Is, Vanuatu Is, South Pacific, 2003

Justine Evans / Namamba tree buttress roots, Vatte conservation area, Espirito Santo, Vanuatu, Melanesia

Patricio Robles Gil / Roots of Nakatambol tree {Dracontomelon vitiense} Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu Is, 2003

Nick Turner / Buttress roots of Nakatambol tree, Vanuata, Micronesia {Dracontomelon vitiense}

Pete Oxford / Buttress roots, Yasuni NP Biosphere Reserve, Amazonia, Ecuador

Nick Turner / Buttress roots of Nakatambol tree, Vanuata, Micronesia {Dracontomelon vitiense}

Toby Sinclair / Dandeli sanctuary, Western Ghats forest, Karnataka, India

Nick Turner / Buttress roots of Nakatambol tree, Vanuata, Micronesia {Dracontomelon vitiense}

Patricio Robles Gil / Aerial buttress roots of Nandai tree {Myristica fatua} Espiritu Santo, Vauatu Is, South Pacific

Pete Oxford / Tree buttress roots, Napo river, Amazonian rainforest, Ecuador

Pete Oxford / Tarantula on buttress root of Ficus species tree. Yasuni NP, Ecuador

Nick Turner / Bath Abbey, Somerset, UK. 2003

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Buttress roots and lianas, rainforest, Amazon Basin, Peru

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Heliconia (Heliconia irrasa) and buttress roots in rainforest, Costa Rica

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) coiled on buttress root, rainforest, Costa Rica

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) coiled on buttress root, rainforest, Costa Rica

Pete Oxford / Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) climbing buttress root, Ecuador

Pete Oxford / Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) climbing buttress root, Ecuador

Pete Oxford / Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) climbing buttress root, Ecuador

Pete Oxford / Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) standing on buttress root on the forest floor in the Amazon rainforest, Ecuador

Pete Oxford / Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) standing on buttress root on the forest floor in the Amazon rainforest, Ecuador

Pete Oxford / Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) standing on buttress root on the forest floor in the Amazon rainforest, Ecuador

Pete Oxford / Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) walking on buttress root on the forest floor in the Amazon rainforest, Ecuador

Pete Oxford / Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) standing on buttress root on the forest floor in the Amazon rainforest, Ecuador