epiphyte
/ˈɛpɪfɑɪt/ noun
Forms epiphytes
- noun (botany) A plant that grows on another, using it for physical support but obtaining no nutrients from it and neither causing damage nor offering benefit.
- noun (biology) A fungus that grows on a plant but does not feed upon it saprotrophically (an epiphytic fungus). (The science of detecting and studying any such symbiosis as may be involved in this relationship is still developing.)
Synonyms
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἐπιφύτον (epiphúton, “one [plant] that grows upon another plant”), from ἐπί (epí, “on top of”) + φυτόν (phutón, “plant”), via epi- (“above, over”) + -phyte (“plant”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An air plant which grows on other plants, but does not derive its nourishment from them. See Air plant.
- noun A vegetable parasite growing on the surface of the body.
Etymology [Gr. épiphyte.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “epiphyte”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details