Dear reader, have you ever encountered the term ‘epiphyte’?
I hope no, otherwise fun will be over!
Epiphytes are plants that live on other plants, sometimes are also called ‘aerial plants’: they are primarily distributed in tropical regions, with some occasional species also in temperate regions. The most famous species are the orchids the tillandsia and ferns. I bet you are surprised.
For the love of nature, in primis, and transparency, secundis, I need underline an aspect: epiphytes are different from parasitic plants! This last are plants that absorb nutrient from the tree host to support themselves, whereas epiphytes use the space of trunk and branches only as physical support. After this clarification we can start to describe the origin of aerial plants.
Common traits of aerial plants are the small size of their seeds (flowering plants) or spores (ferns), in fact they are so small that can be seen as dust rather proper seeds. These small seeds can be dispersed to very long distance. Therefore, in the dark ground of tropical forest, small herbs with small seeds can disperse better if they evolve an aerial life form, therefore in the process of evolution (which take millions of years) a few species evolved to be lush on tree trunk and branches. This aspect had a downside, the aerial position separated the plants from the ground permanently. Water and nutrients availability was scarce, new solution were needed in order to survive at higher elevation from the ground!
Nature has invented all the solution needed, you give her time, and the solution will come! Plants which have evolved aerial adaptation are able to gather water and nutrients directly from the air. How?
The root system of these plants is covered with scales or trichomes to absorb rain and air humidity which in many cases is stored in the root system. Some other species collect the rain and fallen leaves and part of the tree bark, which is accumulated and decomposed by our epiphytic plants, which benefit of this great nutrient support away from the ground.
Do you think this is all we need to know?
Fortunately for you, no. There is more, they have the capacity to be ‘bioindicator’. ‘Bio’ what? You may ask. Aerial plants are sensitive to pollution and their presence of absence is an indication of air quality. At the end, they rely from the air in many aspects.
Moreover, some of the epiphyte can even improve the air quality. Some specie, thanks to their trichomes, can absorb hydrocarbon and heavy metals produced by fossil fuel. They are well adapted as ‘house plants’ or ‘ornamental plants’.
Unfortunately, in your house you do not have tropical level of humidity and temperature, hence you need to fertilize and water them regularly. In other words, to have tropical epiphytes at home , green thumb is a must!
