epiphyte
noun
called also air plant
Did you know?
Epiphytic plants are sometimes known as "air plants" because they seemingly survive on thin air. They rely on their host plants merely for physical support, not nourishment. Tropical epiphytes include orchids, ferns, and members of the pineapple family. To a newcomer in the tropical rain forest, the first sight of a great tree with large epiphytes hanging from every level can be eerie and astonishing. Familiar epiphytes of the temperate zone include lichens, mosses, and algae, which may grow on rocks or water without touching the soil.
Examples of epiphyte in a Sentence
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025
Hartford Courant Most of our houseplants are actually forest-floor species or epiphytes (these grow and live on the trunks of other trees).
—Dr. Matthew Lisy, Hartford Courant, 21 June 2025
The tours aren’t limited to the ground: up the canopy, researchers study rare orchids and epiphytes typically only accessible when a tree falls.
—Calin Van Paris, Outside Online, 18 Apr. 2025
Many miniature or compact species of orchids, bromeliads, ferns, begonias, and aroids are epiphytes and can thrive in terrariums.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 19 Dec. 2024
In their native home in Brazil, Christmas cacti grow as epiphytes in the crooks of tree branches.1 For successful growth indoors, choose a well-draining potting soil containing perlite and a container with good drainage holes.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024
Ferns originally were terrestrial plants, but after flowering plants evolved into large trees, ferns jumped onto their branches as epiphytes – plants that grow on other plants, often with no attachment to the ground.
—Jacob S. Suissa, The Conversation, 20 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Epiphyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epiphyte. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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