They are not parasitic and do not harm or deplete resources from their host plant.
Here’s what you should probably know about epiphytes and how to care for this key in of plant.
Common Characteristics of Epiphytes
Epiphytes are perennial plants with many producing flowers attractive to pollinators.
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Seeds rely on wind or water dispersal and may be carried by birds and insects.
Many spread by producing pups and offshoots.
Some epiphytes attach with roots that wrap or nestle into rough tree bark.
Others root into vegetative mats formed around mosses and lichens.
This environmental debris creates a bang out of surface compost to anchor the roots.
Epiphytes take up moisture from rainfall, humid air, dew, and host plant surfaces.
Some develop special adaptations like cup formations or thick roots and leaves to absorb water.
Unique forms and flowers are collected and highly sought after by enthusiasts.
Tropical species are grown in greenhouses and make interesting houseplants.
Many can be adapted to grow in pots when adequate conditions are met.
Epiphytes make up more than half the orchid genus with close to 14,000 species.
Most bloom annually with wide variations in color and form.
Thick roots have an outer covering called velamen that swells to capture and hold moisture and nutrients.
Leaves are often thick and waxy, although some develop no foliage at all.Phalaenopsisis a popular epiphytic orchid.
More than 3000 species of bromeliads are known with the terrestrial pineapple being the most recognizable.
Epiphytic bromeliads grow singly or in colonies.
Each flowers only once for three to six months, then produces new young plants.
Flowers have a unique appearance called an influorescense, made up of multiple flower buds on a center stalk.
Leaf types vary in size and shape and can be smooth or spiny.
The urn plant or silver vase plant,Aechmea fasciata,is a popular epiphytic bromeliad.
Tillandsia spread by pollination and pups, often forming colonies.
They take many years to bloom, after which offshoots appear and the parent plant dies back.
Sky Plant,Tillandsia ionantha,is commonly grown as a houseplant.
Mosses, lichen, and liverworts can thrive in terrariums but are less frequent in houseplant collections.
Epiphytes thrive in high humidity, use a pebble tray or add additional moisture with a humidifier.
Substrate
A loose potting medium supplies sufficient circulation for roots that take nutrients from air.
Nutrient boosts with a consistent fertilizing schedule support healthy growth and blooming.
Providing adequate growing conditions is key to successfully growing epiphytes.
Parasitic plants take nutrients away from their host.
They deplete nourishment and moisture and can cause harm, even killing the host.
Most, but not all, orchids are epiphytes.
ThePhalaenopsisis the most well-known but joins almost 14,000 other epiphytes in the orchid family.
The majority grow on many species of trees found in tropical rainforests.
Some epiphytes can be mounted or adapted to grow on other types of trees or as potted plants.
Hemi stands for “part” and that means hemiphytes can be part epiphyte.
They start with roots in the ground but grow up on trees and surfaces with some becoming completely epiphytic.
