Re: FW: "accidental epiphyte"

In a message dated Mon, 19 Jun 2000  5:33:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
Jonathan Ertelt <jonathan.ertelt@vanderbilt.edu> writes:


I have been intrigued with this thread for the last week, and have watched
the postings carefully.  As no one else has suggested this I would offer
that the term I have heard for years used to describe this phenomenon is
"Facultative epiphyte."    The definition of this term, from my
understanding, is a plant that would typically ("normally") not be seen
growing as an epiphyte, but which can adopt (adapt to) an epiphytic
lifestyle when there is enough moisture and nutrients available...

Yes!  That is an excellent term to use.  The converse would be "obligate"
-- a plant which must be epiphytic, or must be terrestrial.  Facultative
means it is capable, dut does not have to.  Sort of like some of the
trailing/climbing Peperomia species I saw in Costa Rica, which sometimes
formed carpets on the ground, other times clung to tree trunks, with or
without a connection to the ground.

Jason Hernandez
Naturalist-at-Large
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