### plant:

Ephemeral plant
* are usually annuals that can go from seed to seed in as few as six weeks.
* grow, flower and die in a few days.

### plant:

Epiphyte
* All epiphytes cling to their hosts with very strongly developed root systems.
* Every epiphyte microhabitat, in which there can be a food web of arthropods and other animals.
* Many epiphytes have root systems containing fungi called mycorrhizae
  - produce beautiful, brightly colored flowers
* Most epiphytes are ferns or orchids that live in rainforest
  - require a coarse, well-drained media
* Most epiphytes utilize acid metabolism
* Some epiphytes absorb water from the air
  - adapt to habitats
  - are found in every major group of the plant kingdom
  - can make their own food from sunlight and air
  - eventually develop into stranglers
* Some epiphytes grow in debris
  - leafy debris
* Some epiphytes grow on cycads
  - plants
* Some epiphytes have ecological functions
  - effects
* Some epiphytes have important ecological functions
  - moisture
  - obtain nutrients
  - solve problems
* absorb moisture and nutrients from the air.
* are a diverse group including plants from many families
  - major component of rainforests because of their wide variety and large abundance
  - also a home to ants, including the stinging ant
  - amazing adaptors
  - an integral component of the autotrophic community within many aquatic systems
  - common in tropical forests where competition for light and substrate are intense
  - even more abundant and ferns remain an important element of the flora
  - infrequent
  - over-represented in the houseplant world
  - photosynthetic and thus capable of producing their own energy
* are plants that grow on another plant without stealing nutrients like parasites
  - other plants
  - upon other plants, man-made objects, and even some animals
* are plants that live on other plants
  - the surface of other plants, especially the trunks and branches
  - perched on sturdier plants
  - which perch on or adhere to other plants
  - seen as an important component of biodiversity in tropical forest ecosystems
  - the climbers
* can have compact or short to long-creeping stems.
* claim space on a branch and set roots, trap minimal soil, and photosynthesize.
* compete with the seagrass for light and nutrients, slowing seagrass growth.
* do often develop air roots.
* exist in all classes of plants.
* get a leg up from rain forest trees.
* grow directly on the topmost branches of trees.
* grow on other plants mainly to avoid getting excess sunlight
  - plants having their root structure off the ground instead of in the ground
  - the surface of trees and other plants only for mechanical support
  - tree trunks and branches high above the ground, where the light is brighter
  - upon tree branches and trunks
* growing on the branches of Acer macrophyllum rely on the tree for structural support.
* have aerial roots which dangle and reach for nutrients.
* includes cell membranes
  - cells
  - corpi
  - cytoplasm
  - nuclei
  - plant parts
  - plasma membranes
  - sections
  - vacuoles
* live mainly on tree branches and even form their own soil on the branches
  - upon other plants, but' for support only
* make up a huge part of the biodiversity in a rainforest.
* obtain all their water and mineral needs from the air.
* provide a great service to other organisms in the Neotropical forest.
* receive their nourishment from falling organic debris and rainfall trapped by the plant.
* thrive among the tall cypress trees.

Epiphytic plant
* Most epiphytic plants use photosynthesis
* Some epiphytic plants are large trees that begin their lives high in the forest canopy
  - provide food
* can absorb over a ton of water but do no harm to the tree they live on.
* contribute to a rich ecosystem and provide canopy food and shelter.