Buttresses Many large trees have massive ridges near the base that can rise 30 feet high before blending into the trunk. No one knows for sure, but buttresses may help transport water, increase the surface area for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, or provide greater stability. Prop and Stilt Roots Prop and stilt roots help give support and are characteristic of tropical palms growing in shallow, wet soils. Although the tree grows fairly slowly, these above-ground roots can grow 28 inches a month. Epiphytes Cattleya sp.
Epiphytes are plants that live on the surface of other plants, especially the trunk and branches.
They grow on trees to take advantage of the sunlight in the canopy. Most are orchids, bromeliads, ferns, and Philodendron relatives. Tiny plants called epiphylls, mostly mosses, liverworts and lichens, live on the surface of leaves. Bromeliads Neoregelia sp. Bromeliads are found almost exclusively in the Americas.