Epiphytes Class of Orchids

Epiphytes Class of Orchids
In the tropics, some orchids in the humus rich soil at the edges of stream, in clearing, and other spots on the ground where the dense shade is dappled by patches of sunlight. These orchids are terrestrial, that is, they live on the ground. In most parts of a tropical forest, however, there simply isn’t enough sunlight at ground level to support many flowering plants. Thus, most tropical orchids are epiphytes (air plants or tree dwellers) that have adapted to living up above the ground where the light is more plentiful. When Darwin first saw epiphytic orchids clinging to the branches of their hosts, he thought they were parasites, drawing nourishment from their hosts through tenacious, leechlike roots. This was of course a false assumption; true parasites are rare among plants. Two of better known examples are mistletoe ad a golden yellow, stringlike vine called “dodder”.

Actually, orchids use the branches of trees only as a place to live. They absorb their nutrients not from their hosts, but from the decaying organic matter that accumulates around their roots, and they photosynthesize sugars from the sunlight streaming through the gaps in the leafy canopy. They damage trees only when they grow too heavy for branches to bear. Occasionally, massive colonies of orchids, often accompanied by ferns, bromeliads, and epiphytes gesneriads, crash to the forest floor.
Epiphytes Class of Orchids