190 



Science of Plant Life 



plants on which they grow 

 (page 249), but depend for 

 their water upon the evenly 

 distributed rainfall and for 

 their mineral substances upon 

 dust and the decay of the 

 bark on which they live. 



Epiphytes are pronounced 

 xerophytes, for there is prob- 

 ably no habitat in which it 

 is more difficult to maintain 

 a water balance than the one 

 in which they live. It is not 

 surprising, therefore, to find 

 that among the epiphytic 

 plants of the West Indies 

 there are several species of 

 cactus. Among epiphytes 



there are many species of ferns, and many species belong 

 to two families of flowering plants, the Bromelias and 

 orchids. The Bromelias are related to the pineapple and 

 have leaves of the same type. The orchids have flowers 

 remarkable for their shapes and colors, and have the dis- 

 tinction of being the highest priced of all flowering plants. 

 The long moss of Florida, a flowering plant, is perhaps the 

 best known of American epiphytes. It is an extreme form 

 and is devoid of roots. The roots of many epiphytes contain 

 chlorophyll and assist in the manufacture of food. 



Roots and transplanting. Only a few years ago it was 

 thought impossible to transplant large trees or even medium- 

 sized conifers. Today trees of large size are dug up, trans- 



FIG. no. An epiphytic orchid. 



