epiphyte

American  

[ep-uh-fahyt] / ˈɛp əˌfaɪt /

noun

Botany.

1. a plant that grows above the ground, supported nonparasitically by another plant or object, and deriving its nutrients and water from rain, the air, dust, etc.; air plant; aerophyte.

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epiphyte British  

/ ˈɛpɪˌfaɪt, ˌɛpɪˈfɪtɪk /

noun

1. a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic on it

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epiphyte Scientific  

/ ĕp′ə-fīt′ /

1. A plant that grows on another plant and depends on it for support but not food. Epiphytes get moisture and nutrients from the air or from small pools of water that collect on the host plant. Spanish moss and many orchids are epiphytes.

2. Also called aerophyte air plant

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Other Word Forms

• epiphytic
  adjective
• epiphytical
  adjective
• epiphytically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of epiphyte

First recorded in 1840–50; epi- + -phyte

Explanation

When one plant grows on another without harming it, it's an epiphyte. Tiny ferns and mosses growing on tree trunks are epiphytes. In rainforests, orchids and bromeliads are common epiphytes, attached to other plants but getting their nutrients from the air around them. In more temperate regions, you might see lichens (not technically plants, but still epiphytes) and moss growing on dead trees and guess they're responsible for killing their host — but these epiphytes are simply taking advantage of the increased sunlight and physical support of the bare trunks. You can grow an epiphyte of your own, too, by buying a tiny "air plant."

Example Sentences

Nadkarni's latest paper reviews the available science on epiphyte communities and categorizes the drivers and consequences of and societal responses to drought, wind, insects, wildfire, logging and other disturbances.

From Science Daily • Oct. 11, 2023

The Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis is an epiphyte - a plant that grows on another plant but gets its own nutrients from the surrounding air and rainwater.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2022

An epiphyte like the Monstera deliciosa, the staghorn fern has its roots attach to tree trunks and branches in tropical forests, and it gets its nutrients from the water and air.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2021

An epiphyte like the Monstera deliciosa, the staghorn fern’s roots attach to tree trunks and branches in tropical forests, and it gets its nutrients from the water and air.

From Washington Post • Oct. 13, 2021

One genus, Vanilla, is a twining epiphyte; the fruit of this plant furnishes the vanilla of commerce.

From Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany For High Schools and Elementary College Courses by Campbell, Douglas Houghton