THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
85 
are numerous, we find that the g^enus Lycopodium is largely epi- 
phytic throughout the tropics. Among ferns several genera are 
largely epiphytic. Bromeliacese is a large Tropical American 
order containing many epiphytic representatives. Aroidese also 
contains many epiphytes, while among orchids we find that a large 
proportion of the tribes Epidendrese and Vandese belong to this 
class, in fact they are found almost throtighout the tropics where 
the conditions are favorable. Among dicotyledons we find nu- 
merous epiphytes among Piperacae, Urticacese (Ficiis and Dor- 
stenia) , various cactid, begonias, several genera of Melastomace^ 
many Vacciniacese, some rhododendrons among the Eriacese, nu- 
merous Gesneracese and Rubiaceae (the Myrmecondia group 
among the latter being specially note-worthy), and a few repre- 
sentatives of several other orders. 
Although there are many plants whose sole habitat is the bark 
of trees, the dead bark does not always form the base from which 
their nutriment is derived. The trees often only serve as supports 
by means of which the plants raise themselves out of darkness 
intO' light. Such plants grow from stem or branches and send 
down absorptive roots into the soil, some of these roots being of 
enormous length. Here then is another difficulty in defining 
the term epiphyte, for these plants are closely analagous to climb- 
ing lianas, the difiFerence being that the climber has its anchorage 
in the soil of the forest floor, and climbs up into the sun and light 
by means of any support that presents itself, while the other class 
germinates on the branches, and sends dow^n roots to the soil in 
search of food. 
Many plants might be termed pseudo-epiphytes, for they grow 
in accumulations of decaying vegetable matter, regardless of situ- 
tation if the other conditions are favorable. As time goes on 
particles of inorganic dust collect in the forks of the branches and 
rents and fissures of the bark of old trees, and these, get mixed 
wath fallen leaves and twigs and particles of crumbled bark, form- 
ing a vegetable mould w^hich is an excellent soil for a large num- 
ber of plants. So much is this the case that plants which are 
