As already mentioned on the Cave Fauna page, plants can't grow in caves as there is no sunight. However some seeds do find their way into caves, they are either taken in with water, especially in times of flood, or else they are deposited in the bat droppings. Theys struggle to survive and are pale and spindly, and normally only reach a few cm in height before dying. So it was quite interesting to find these huge banana plants inside a cave in southern Thailand, obviously washed in by a flood. Also the coconuts which had got washed in and deposited on a ledge.
Inside the cave, if there is electric lighting, various kinds of lampenflora may grow. These include mosses, algae and ferns. Lampen flora is a problem in some show caves in the vicinity of lighting fixtures. It is unsightly and may discolour the cave formations. Also the plants produce weak organic acids which in time can erode the cave limestone and formations. Lampen flora can be eliminated - details can be found on the internet.
Large roots sometimes come into caves, seeking moisture.
Some limestone flora found outside caves
Cycads are found on some limestone hills. Cycads are the oldest group of seed-bearing plants and have undergone relatively very little change over the last three hundred million years or so, earning them the euphemism of “living fossils”. It is thought there are three species of cycad from the genus Cycas in Malaysia Cycas clivicola grows on limestone hills, and is on the IUCN Red List of thereatened species.
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