bio

Epiphyte

A plant that grows on another plant — on a branch or trunk — without rooting in the ground, drawing water and nutrients straight from rain and mist. Orchids, ferns, mosses, and bromeliads are classic examples. Over time their debris builds up into genuine mats of soil perched high in the trees, and host trees even grow roots out of their own branches to drink from the gardens growing on them. Epiphytes are not parasites: they borrow a perch, not the host's sap.