GLOSSARY Epiphyte: a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rain forests.
Primary Hemi-epiphyte: epiphytic for one stage of its life cycle but rooted in the soil during another stage. A primary hemi-epiphyte begins life as an epiphyte and later becomes rooted in soil, whereas a secondary hemi-epiphyte begins life rooted in soil and later becomes an epiphyte.