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# epiphyte

noun (an epiphyte, epiphytes)

«epiphyte» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

An epiphyte is a plant that grows on another plant, usually a tree, for support, but does not take food from it; it gets water and nutrients from the air, rain and bits of rubbish. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/epiphyte/#m1)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on rainforests and plant adaptations, epiphytes like many orchids, bromeliads, mosses and ferns live high on tree branches to reach sunlight. It is a good example of a plant that uses another without harming it (unlike a parasite). Phrases: «epiphytic plants», «epiphytes in the rainforest canopy».

### Examples

- An orchid growing on a tree branch is an epiphyte. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/epiphyte/#x1)
- Epiphytes live high in the rainforest to get more light. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/epiphyte/#x2)
- Moss on an oak tree is a kind of epiphyte. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/epiphyte/#x3)
- Bromeliads are epiphytes that hold water in their leaves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/epiphyte/#x4)
- An epiphyte does not steal food from its tree. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/epiphyte/#x5)
- Tiny frogs lay eggs in pools inside epiphytes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/epiphyte/#x6)

### Note

Say it «EP-ih-fite». Plural: epiphytes. Adjective: epiphytic. Trap: an epiphyte is not a parasite; mistletoe is a parasite because it takes food from the tree, but an orchid is an epiphyte.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «epiphyte» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/epiphyte/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«epiphyte» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/epiphyte.html) on Mova free.