Piqued My Interest

Photo from Minden Pictures: Photographer Gary K Smith

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Did you know... that the weeds that grow between pavement slabs are specifically called epiphytes?  I had no idea (naturally) but apparently these weeds grow on other plants and live on trapped rain water.  I read this in one of the ‘Bryant and May’ series of crime novels and then looked it up on the internet:

“An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. Epiphytes take part in nutrient cycles and add to both the diversity and biomass of the ecosystem in which they occur, like any other organism. They are an important source of food for many species. Epiphytes differ from parasites in that they grow on other plants for physical support and do not necessarily affect the host negatively”.   

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The term epiphytic derives from the Greek epi- (meaning 'upon') and phyton (meaning 'plant').
 
Orchids, Bromeliads, Proteas, succulents and some Rhododendrons can also be classed as epiphytes too, so that’s nice.  Well, you learn something new every day!