Epiphytes 101: The Best Options to Grow as Houseplants
If asked to picture a houseplant, what comes to mind first is likely a specimen potted up in a pretty container filled with soil.
But there is an entirely different category of houseplants available to you that can be grown on driftwood, shells, lava rocks, and pieces of wood.
These plants are called epiphytes, and they grow on other plants in the wild, usually trees.
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You probably don’t have a massive tree growing inside your house, but that’s okay!
Imagine a staghorn fern mounted on a wood plaque or an orchid growing in the crook of a pretty piece of driftwood that you found on the beach.
In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the wide, wonderful world of epiphytic plants. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s coming up:
Whether you’ve already brought home an epiphyte and want to know how to care for it, or you’re just curious about these fascinating plants, this guide has you covered.
Let’s dip our toes into the water.
What Are Epiphytes?
Epiphytes are defined as plants that grow on other plants, and they make up an astounding array of different species. For instance, Spanish moss is an epiphyte, and so are Swiss cheese plants and fiddle-leaf figs.
Mosses, orchids, bromeliads, and certain types of ferns are some of the most common ones, but epiphytes are found in every major plant family.
Most epiphyte seeds are spread by birds and mammals such as monkeys that eat the seeds of mature plants or the fruit that contains them. They drop the seeds, or the seeds come out in their waste, and often these will land on the branch of a tree.
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