epiphyte

views updated May 11 2018

ep·i·phyte / ˈepəˌfīt/ • n. Bot. a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rain forests.DERIVATIVES: ep·i·phyt·al / ˌepəˈfītl/ adj.ep·i·phyt·ic / ˌepəˈfitik/ adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

epiphyte

views updated Jun 11 2018

epiphyte (air plant) Plant that grows on another plant, but is not a parasite. Epiphytes usually have aerial roots and produce their own food by photosynthesis. They are common in tropical forests. Examples are some ferns, orchids, Spanish moss, and many bromeliads.

World Encyclopedia

epiphyte

views updated Jun 11 2018

epiphyte A plant that uses another plant, typically a tree, for its physical support, but which does not drawn nourishment from it. Well-known examples include Platycerium (staghorn fern) and many members of the Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae. Epiphytes are a conspicuous feature of many kinds of tropical rain forest.

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences MICHAEL ALLABY

epiphyte

views updated Jun 11 2018

epiphyte A plant that uses another plant, typically a tree, for its physical support, but which does not draw nourishment from it. Well-known examples include Platycerium (staghorn fern) and many members of the Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae. Epiphytes are a conspicuous feature of many kinds of tropical rain forest.

A Dictionary of Ecology MICHAEL ALLABY

epiphyte

views updated Jun 11 2018

epiphyte (bot.) vegetable parasite. XIX. f. Gr. EPI- +phutón plant.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

epiphyte

views updated May 29 2018

epiphyte A plant that grows upon another plant but is neither parasitic on it nor rooted in the ground. Epiphytes include many mosses and lichens and some tropical orchids.

A Dictionary of Biology