Biology / Unit 11 Bio 2597 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Epiphytes
Captions available
The idea
An epiphyte grows supported on another plant without drawing nutrition from it, absorbing moisture and minerals instead from rain, humus, and atmosphere.
In practice
An orchid high in a tree canopy collects nutrients from humus in bark crevices, not the tree's tissue.
Where people slip
An epiphyte's dependence on its host is purely structural — unlike a parasite, per Bio 2589, it draws no nutrients from it.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Biology