In botany, phorophytes are plants on which epiphytes grow. The term is composed of phoro, meaning bearer or carrier [1] and phyte, meaning plant. [2]
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In botany, phorophytes are plants on which epiphytes grow. The term is composed of phoro, meaning bearer or carrier [1] and phyte, meaning plant. [2]
The epiphytes benefit from the habitats provided, but the phorophyte is unaffected. In other words, the obligate epiphytes utilize phorophytes as habitats, without parasitizing them. [3]
Different phorophytes provide different conditions to the plants, which grown on their surface. The bark pH, degree of bark shedding, the presence of milk sap and the density and size of bark lenticels influence the occurrence of epiphytes. [4] Bark ornamentations affect the establishment of seeds and the chemical composition of the bark may be inhibiting germination. [3] Some epiphytic orchids tend to grow on phorophytes with rough bark. Conservation efforts of orchids need to account for the conservation of phorophytes as well. [5]
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae, a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth except glaciers. The world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species is found in the tropics.
An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phorophytes. Epiphytes take part in nutrient cycles and add to both the diversity and biomass of the ecosystem in which they occur, like any other organism. They are an important source of food for many species. Typically, the older parts of a plant will have more epiphytes growing on them. Epiphytes differ from parasites in that they grow on other plants for physical support and do not necessarily affect the host negatively. An organism that grows on another organism that is not a plant may be called an epibiont. Epiphytes are usually found in the temperate zone or in the tropics. Epiphyte species make good houseplants due to their minimal water and soil requirements. Epiphytes provide a rich and diverse habitat for other organisms including animals, fungi, bacteria, and myxomycetes.
Angraecum, also known as comet orchid, is a genus of the family Orchidaceae native to tropical and South Africa, as well as Sri Lanka. It contains 223 species.
Epidendroideae is a subfamily of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Epidendroideae is larger than all the other orchid subfamilies together, comprising more than 15,000 species in 576 genera. Most epidendroid orchids are tropical epiphytes, typically with pseudobulbs. There are, however, some terrestrials such as Epipactis and even a few myco-heterotrophs, which are parasitic upon mycorrhizal fungi.
The ornamental orchid species Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica is native to certain islands of the Philippines. Its flowers are creamy white with transverse markings that resemble glyphs. Through hybridization, growers have successfully created flowers with different shapes and colors while retaining the glyphs. Since 1975, the species has been protected under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
In ecology, a mesic habitat is a type of habitat with a well-balanced or moderate supply of moisture throughout the growing season. The term derives from the Greek misos, meaning middle, indicating its relative moisture content between hydric (moist) and xeric (dry) habitats. The word "mesic" can apply to the plants or soils within the mesic habitat.
Vanilla planifolia is a species of vanilla orchid native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. It is one of the primary sources for vanilla flavouring, due to its high vanillin content. Common names include flat-leaved vanilla, and West Indian vanilla. Often, it is simply referred to as "the vanilla," or just vanilla. It was first scientifically named in 1808. With the species' population in decline and its habitats being converted to other purposes, the IUCN has assessed Vanilla planifolia as Endangered.
Papilionanthe hookeriana, also known as anggrek pensil in indonesian, or kinta weed, is a species of orchid native to the swamps of Borneo, Malaya, Sumatera, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Bulbophyllum teretifolium is a species of plant in the family Orchidaceae. It is an epiphyte with cylindrical leaves and up to about forty small, white and purplish flowers and is endemic to Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical, moist montane forests, where it is threatened by habitat loss.
Angraecum leonis is a species of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae.
Peristeria elata is a species of orchid occurring from Central America to Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador. It is the type species of its genus. It is commonly referred to as the Holy Ghost orchid, dove orchid, or flower of the Holy Spirit in English, and, as the flor del Espiritu Santo in Spanish.
Microsaccus is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia.
Vanilla polylepis is a climbing orchid species in the plant family Orchidaceae. It is native to tropical Africa, with a range spanning the width of the continent, from Kenya to Angola. It grows in high-altitude evergreen and swamp forests between 1,200–1,500 m (3,900–4,900 ft) and is often found growing on trees bordering rivers and waterfalls. Plants produce bright green, fleshy stems, 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) in diameter, with large, glossy leaves. White, aerial roots form on the stems allowing the orchids to attach themselves to trees for support. As with many orchids, they produce showy flowers, which in the case of V. polylepis are white and yellow with a pink to maroon blotch. This differentiates them from similar species. They have seedpod-like fruits, called capsules, which produce a distinctive aroma as they dry. They are closely related to the well-known species Vanilla planifolia, whose seed pods are used commercially in the production of vanilla flavouring.
Ambrella is a monotypic genus in the orchid family. The single species, Ambrella longituba is endemic to Madagascar. The type specimen was collected and described by Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie in 1934.
Lepanthes eltoroensis is a species of orchid known by the common name Luquillo Mountain babyboot orchid. It is endemic to El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, growing primarily in the Luquillo Mountains. It is named for the El Toro Trail in the mountains. It was a federally listed endangered species of the United States from 1991 to 2021, when it was delisted due to recovery.
Hippeastrum calyptratum is a flowering perennial herbaceous bulbous plant, in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to Brazil.
Phalaenopsis appendiculata is a species of miniature epiphyte in the family Orchidaceae, endemic to peninsular Malaysia.
Phalaenopsis difformis, also known as the dark brown Phalaenopsis, is a species of epiphytic orchid native to Assam, Borneo, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam and West Himalaya.
The Tropical Wet Forests are a Level I ecoregion of North America designated by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) in its North American Environmental Atlas. As the CEC consists only of Mexico, the United States, and Canada, the defined ecoregion does not extend outside these countries to Central America nor the Caribbean.
Drymoanthus adversus is an orchid species endemic to New Zealand.