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Epiphytes An epiphyte is a plant that grows on another plant, but does not derive water or nutrients from the association. Back to plant growth form menu Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Epiphytic vascular plants occur most often in the moist tropics and include ferns, aroids, orchids, bromeliads, peperomias, and cactus. Non-vascular epiphytes include mosses and lichens. Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Epiphytes in a tropical forest have an advantage over terrestrial plants because there is less competition for light in the tree canopy and the occurrence of insect and animal herbivory may be less. Staghorn fern (Platycerium superbum) Peperomia sp. Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Velamen Moisture for epiphytes is mostly obtained from the humid air in tropical or subtropical environments. Roots are reduced and used for attachment to the support tree. In some plants, like the epiphytic orchids, roots produce an outer layer called velamen used to absorb water and nutrients from the air. Velamen Orchid roots Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Velamen In orchids, the outer velamen layer covers an inner chlorophyll layer that is photosynthetic. Chlorophyll layer Velamen does not cover the root tip. Velamen layer Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Velamen The outer velamen layer appears white when it is dry. When it becomes wet and full of water, the inner chlorophyll containing layers can be seen through the now transparent velamen. Wet Dry Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is a bromeliad seen hanging from large trees in humid parts of the southern USA. It is an example of an epiphyte that does not produce roots and has modified leaves that absorb water and nutrients from humid air and rain. Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) curls up and dehydrates during periods of dry weather only to ”resurrect” as the humidity returns. Dry leaves Hydrated leaves Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Bromeliads are common epiphytes in the tropical tree canopy. Some bromeliads, like Neoregelia , form a cup in the center of a rosette of leaves to capture water. Neoregelia Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Cochliostema odoratissimum in the Commelinaceae is another epiphyte that forms a water retaining cup or “tank” from a rosette of basal leaves. Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Epiphytes capture nutrients in a variety of ways. Specialized roots can absorb nutrients in runoff as rain leaches minerals from tree leaves or trapped debris. Orchids and epiphytic members of the Ericaceae (pictured here) have an association with fungi (mycorrhizae) to help absorb nutrients. Satyria Canvendishia grandiflora Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Another strategy to obtain nutrients in a soilless environment is to produce a dense tangled shoot or root system to trap material, like fallen leaves. Drynaria quercifolia Back to plant growth form menu Dense matted roots of bird’s nest anthurium (Anthurium hookeri). Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Nutrients can be captured from these caches as the organic matter decomposes. Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Myrmecodia solomonensis is an epiphytic plant that produces a thickened stem with hollow cavities and tunnels that provide shelter for mutualistic ants. The tunnels help to trap water for the plant and the ants deposit material from which the plant derives nutrition. Back to plant growth form menu Back Next Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu Epiphytes Hydnophytum formicarum is an epiphytic plant where the caudiform is derived from the swollen hypocotyl. A cross-section of the caudiciform shows the cavities used by ants as “living quarters”. The ants benefit from the protective housing in the plant’s cavity and the ants provide the plant with necessary nutrients that would otherwise be supplied by ground roots. Back to plant growth form menu Back Back to vegetative parts main menu Main menu
