EPIPHYTES

Florida's Amazing Epiphytes
By Volunteer Ken Erb

Florida is one of the best places in the world to see and enjoy epiphytes. At my home in Sarasota County epiphytes love my canary island palm and dahoon holly tree. If you have a Florida garden with trees and shrubs, you likely have epiphytes too. Epiphytes are great.

There are lots of different epiphytes. But this web page is about the canopy walk at Myakka River State Park so we will concentrate on the epiphytes found there. However, all epiphytes everywhere share the same basic characteristics.
Epiphytes are plants

If we understand what the word epiphyte means we have a good handle on what epiphytes are. ‘Epi’ means ‘on’ and ‘phyte’ means ‘plant’. So an epiphyte is a plant that grows on another plant. Epiphytes are sometimes called airplants because they grow above ground, in the air.
 Ballmoss - A typical Florida airplant.
Epiphytes have a room with a view and are good neighbors

Why do epiphytes grow on other plants? Remember that epiphytes are plants, so they need light to produce their food by photosynthesis. Host plants (plant they live on) support them high off the ground nearer light.

Ballmoss - -Tillandsia recurvata

Also, by growing on a tree trunk or branch epiphytes do not have to compete with other plants that live on the ground and do not have to contend with seasonal floodwater.

Epiphytes generally do not harm the host plant. Most do not put roots into the host to take food and water from it. They get their nutrients from their own photosynthesis, and sources such as rotting leaves and small animal excrement dissolved in rain and dew. (Myakka does have two species of parasitic epiphytes that put roots into another plant to get food and water from it.)
Cardinal Airplant. An epihpyte with a red flower.
Epiphytes are part of the forest canopy ecosystem

An ecosystem is all the plants, animals and microbes that interact with each other and the environment they inhabit and depend on. The forest canopy is the above-ground parts of the forest such as the tree branches, leaves, and flowers, epiphytes, and lichens. So the forest canopy ecosystem is all the plants, animals and microbes that live together with the forest canopy environment. There is still much we do not know about these ecosystems and canopy walkways are one way we can get way up to discover more about them.

Cardinal Airplant- -Tillandsia fasciculata

Epiphytes are more than pretty decorations on a tree

Epiphytes are a very important part of this exciting, dynamic ecosystem. They provide food and shelter for countless tiny organisms such as bacteria, algae, protozoa, insects, frogs, lizards, and snakes. The leaves of some epiphytes are shaped such that they can capture and hold rainwater. In that water live a community of dynamic, interacting critters that are intricate to the survival of the forest canopy ecosystem. Migrating birds drink from these “water pots” and feast upon resident frogs and insects.
And, you know, epiphytes are also just pretty. Life sure would be boring without pretty. During dry periods the resurrection fern looks all dried up and dead. But when it rains they resurrect and form a lush, lovely green mantle on the limbs of big oak trees. And the lovely flowers of the cardinal airplant and butterfly orchid peaking down from a tree above help make my day. Resurrection Ferns: When it rains they resurrect and form a lush, lovely green mantle on the limbs of big oak trees.

Resurrection Fern - -Pleopeltis polypodioides

Join in the fun

You can observe the forest canopy ecosystem from the Canopy Walkway. The trees along the walkway are live oaks, laurel oaks and cabbage palms. Here are some additional epiphytes one might find at Myakka River State Park..
Return to Myakka Canopy Walkway