The plants are usually developed directly on the ground, but this is not the case of epiphytic plants, whose development does not require the soil, but grow over the trunks of the trees to get the best position to receive the sunlight. This is the case of plants as well known as orchids and bromelia.
In this ecology article, we will find out more about the Epiphytic plants: what are, their types and some examples.
What are epiphytic plants: definition
The epiphyte comes from the Greek ‘epi’ (envelope) and ‘phyton’ (vegetable), that is, refers to a plant that develops on another vegetable using it as support. Therefore, sometimes it seems that epiphytic plants are plants that They live in the airwhen they are actually growing on a support.
Epiphytic plants do not keep any physiological relationship with the trees on which they develop, but their roots only serve to hold the branches and trunks. It is said, then, that the relationship of the epiphytic plant with its support is Commentaryism (Benefit benefit, while the tree or vegetable supports neither benefits nor harm). However, recent studies have found that epiphytes can cause host damage on certain occasions, such as avoiding their photosynthesis, suffocating or causing rupture of their branch due to weight.
The support tree is a good habitat for epiphytes, because it is exposed to important humidity and temperature variations due to direct exposure to the sun and wind. For this reason, epiphytic plants have developed certain physiological and morphological characteristics that allow them to avoid or reduce water loss (thanks to thick cuticles) and to obtain the nutrients from the air and those that are released by the leaf litter and debris of the trees.
Difference between epiphytic plants and parasitic plants
Parasitic plants, like epiphytes, develop on a plant, but unlike epiphytes, the parasites feed on the nutritional substances of the host plant, causing serious damage. Currently, approximately 4,000 species of parasitic plants are known and have a modified root, called Haustorio, which penetrates the xylem or the guest of the host.
Therefore, the difference is that Epiphytic plants do not cause damage to the hostwhile The parasites yes.
Learn more about parasitic plants: characteristics, types and examples with this other post of ecology.
Difference between epiphytic and climbing plants
Both epiphytic and climbing plants use a guest, however the difference between the two is that, on the one hand, Epiphytic plants have an aerial form of livingwhile, on the other hand, climbing plants have their origin on Earth And when they begin to grow they are located in a tree to absorb sunlight and be away from predators and excessive soil humidity.
Here we show you more about climbing plants with flowers, so that you know several species.
Types of epiphytic plants and species examples
It is estimated that there are currently around 25,000 species of plants with this way of life. The epiphytic way of life appeared several times throughout the evolution and are found both in spermatophytes (trunk and seed plants) tropical and Ericaceas, Moreaceas, Piperaceas, Melastomataceas either Gesneraceas and seeds without seeds of tempered climates, such as licos, mosses and liver. However, The best known epiphytic plants And common are:
Orchids
The orchid family It is the most numerous in terms of number of epiphytic species, with more than 20 genera of tropical epiphytic plants. The different orchid species stand out for their beauty and for their great diversity of floral forms. This fact together with their few requirements in nutrients and water, make them one of the most cultivated gardening plants in the world. In addition, they stand out for their complex pollination systems. Some epiphytic species of this family are:
- Bulbophyllum minutissimum
- Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis
- Vanilla Planifolia
- Prosthechea Baculus
- Epidendrum Anceps
- Phalaenopsis Amabilis
Here we discover how to grow orchids in the trees.
Bromelias
The bromeliums include more than 3,000 tropical species, most epiphytes and some of the best known are air carnations. Its leaves develop in Roseta and in an overlap, which facilitates the accumulation of water. Bromelias have secondary compounds that prevent mosquito proliferation Aedes aegyptiwhich is an important virus transmitter such as Zyka or Dengue, and the water that accumulates in its leaves creates a microhabitat with nutrients from those who feed insects, amphibians and native birds. Some epiphytic species are:
- Tillandsia usneoids
- Tillandsia Abdita
- Tillandsia accuminate
- Tillandsia multicaulis
- Aechmea abbreviata
- Aechmea Allenii
- Aechmea Aquilega
Ferns
The ferns are seedless vascular plants with large sheets usually pinnate and circinated prefoliation. They are plants very dependent on moisture, so a great variety is developed in tropical climates, many of which are epiphytes. Some Epiphytes of epiphytic ferns are:
- Platycerium bifurcatum
- Trichomanes Galeti
- Phlebodium pseudoaureum
- Elaphoglossum clothing
Mushrooms
In twisted log trees you can find some epiphytic mosses, especially in the bark of the oaks. Mosses are little demanding plants and are part of the colonizing vegetation, fulfilling important functions such as protecting the soil from cooling, conserving and increasing their porosity and permeability and contributing to enriching the plant land. Some epiphytic mosses are:
- Syntrichia Amphidiacea
- Leskea Angustata
- Syntrichia Fragilis
- Syntrichia Pagorum
- Ciliaris Fabronia
Lichens
Lickenes are symbiotic associations between An algae and a funguswhere the fungus provides protection and algae photosynthesis. Lickenes usually grow as epiphytic plants in the cortex of many trees. The following species stand out:
- Usnea articulate
- Aextoxicon punctatum
- Peumus boldus
- Aristotelia chilensis
In the image below you can see mushrooms and ferns, which are epiphytic plants, living in a tree.
Is there symbiosis between the epiphytic plant and the carrier?
Epiphytic plants accumulate among its roots large amounts of dust, earth or water, forming on the basis of the carrier plant a layer of biomass that the epiphyte can use as food. At the same time, some carrier species develop special roots with which they manage to use part of this biomass as a food supplement. So it can also be said that the carrier plant can obtain a certain kind of benefits.
From the point of view of the benefits for the organisms involved, this relationship can be considered as a type of Commentaryism symbiosis. However, it is not a strict symbiosis, since there is no close relationship between both organisms, such as for example in a lichen.
Learn more about what symbiosis with examples is, in this other article.
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