Plants that grow on other plants without being parasitic are called epiphytes. The word comes from Greek roots meaning “upon” and “plant,” describing organisms that live on the surface of a host plant, usually a tree.
Epiphytes use their hosts mainly for physical support, lifting them into brighter and sometimes less competitive parts of the forest canopy. They do not take nourishment directly from the host’s tissues. Instead, they collect moisture and nutrients from rain, mist, air, leaf litter and particles trapped around their roots.
Tropical rainforests are especially rich in epiphytes. Orchids, bromeliads, ferns, mosses and lichens are familiar examples. Some bromeliads form small reservoirs of water between their leaves, creating miniature habitats for insects, tree frogs and other organisms.
Epiphytes are often confused with vines, but the terms describe different growth strategies. Vines climb upward from the ground, whereas epiphytes begin life above the soil. Strangler figs are also a common source of confusion: they start as epiphytes, then send roots downward and may eventually envelop their supporting tree.