1:884.] 
On Tropical Epiphytes . 
533 
V. ON TROPICAL EPIPHYTES. 
.HEaspeft of a tropical primaeval forest is essentially 
determined by the luxuriant growth of epiphytic, or, 
T i • . aS tkey a ^ e more Popularly styled, parasitic plants. 
Then countless forms cover the tops of the trees in strange 
prousion and give them that fascinating variety which 
delights the traveller. These plants are not in all cases to 
i b nto?ht ld ^ a T,f araSlteS: their roots do not penetrate 
dvvell OnTh 01 of tke tlssa es of trees on which they 
wl ' ° f le , C °r tra 7.’ , they cree P alon S the surface of the 
nf , k , 01 c , h ‘ nks whlch already exist. Like the lichens 
If ,u 01 V hey ? le coatent Wlth th e nourishment to be 
met with on the surface of their host, or are even totally in- 
dependent of it as far as nutrition is concerned. They are 
led to this peculiar way of life by the struggle for light so 
predominant among forest vegetation. They utilise the 
the^fght treeS merely aS sta S es or supports in order to reach 
Several interesting questions here at once suggest them- 
selves. How, for instance, do these plants continue to exist 
amidst unfavourable conditions ? How do they, growing on 
a hmd, smooth bark, obtain the needful supply of water and 
of inorganic food ? These questions have been thoroughly 
discussed by A. F. W. Schimper, in a treatise published in 
nnf- B ° u tan ,' Cei V. r al* B latt,” and in the “ Naturforscher.” 
C5? 1S ^ a T U i 0r S stadies relate chiefly to the Epiphytes of the 
West Indies, and are mainly founded on observations which 
he made in 1883, in Dominica and Trinidad. The gorgeous 
vegetation of this latter island will doubtless be known to 
many of our readers if from no other source — from the 
eloquent descriptions of the late Charles Kingsley. 
In the epiphytic flora of the West Indies the greatest 
number of species belong to the Orchids, though the Bro- 
mehacese and the Aroids surpass them in the number of in- 
dividual plants and in their conspicuous character. The 
feins aie especially rich both in individuals and in species. 
As the dwellers on trees are exposed to the same unfavour- 
able conditions as ground plants in a very dry soil, they are 
provided, like the latter, with succulent or leathery leaves 
which exhale moisture very sparingly, and do not readily 
wither. The stems sometimes form rosette-like tuberous 
swellings, and send out roots many and strong, which creep 
or climb on the supporting tree and produce numerous 
