Why do Rain forest trees have a large canopy, and little other vegetation on the trunk?

Question

Why do Rain forest trees have a large canopy, and little other vegetation on the trunk?

Answer 1

That is what they evolved to compete with the other vegetation for water.

The limbs act like a funnel so water will run down it's trunk.

and water it's roots. vegetation on the side of the trunk would not catch sunlight or rain it would be useless. Evolution does away with useless most of the time.

Kinda like catching rain.

Answer 2

There is little other vegetation beneath the dense (thick) canopy because said canopy blocked out most of the sunlight that those plants need to survive.

Answer 3

the trees compete for the sunlight.  the higher and better the foilage, the more sunlight it can absorb.  The more sunlight, the better the photosynthesis.

Answer 4

to maximise the huge amount of sunlight all year round...due to the large canopy....not much light reaches below it and to the ground and thus not much vegetation on the trunks and the ground....

Answer 5

this is not a unique characteristic to rainforest trees. look at any pine tree. the vegetation is at the top of the tree. Although rainforest trees tend to host epiphytes along their trunk