A hemiepiphytic strangler fig in Kerala, India.Black Olive Berry on a Soft Tree Fern at Devil's Creek, Tantawangalo, South East Forest National Park, AustraliaPinkwood growing as a hemiepiphyte on a Soft Tree Fern at Monga National Park, Australia
A hemiepiphyte is a plant that spends part of its life cycle as an epiphyte. The seeds of primary hemiepiphytes germinate in the canopy and initially live epiphytically. They send roots downward, and these roots eventually make contact with the ground. Secondary hemiepiphytes are root-climbers[1] that begin as rooted vines growing upward from the forest floor, but later break their connection to the ground.[2] When this happens, they may send down long roots to the ground.[1]
Strangler figs are hemiepiphytic – they may begin life as epiphytes but after making contact with the ground they encircle their host tree and "strangle" it. This usually results in the death of the host tree, either through girdling or through competition for light.[3] Strangler figs can also germinate and develop as independent trees, not reliant on the support of a host.
^ abMayo et al. "Araceae" in Kubitzki (1998b The families and genera of vascular plants): "The root climbers and hemiepiphytes normally grow in humid forests, often very high in the canopy. When losing connection with the forest floor, they may send down long roots to the ground; such plants may be referred to as secondary hemiepiphytes. Hemiepiphytes and root climbers cling tightly to the bark of the host with negatively phototropic roots. Skototropism, an orientation movement towards a well-defined dark area, has been observed in Monstera tenuis and other genera and is an adaptation in juvenile plants for seeking a suitable host tree, following germination on the forest floor."
^Kricher, John (2011). Tropical Ecology. Princeton University Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 9780691115139.
^E. Putz, Francis; N. Michele Holbrook (June 1989). "Strangler Fig Rooting Habits and Nutrient Relations in the Llanos of Venezuela". American Journal of Botany. 76 (6): 781–788. doi:10.2307/2444534. JSTOR 2444534.
A hemiepiphyte is a plant that spends part of its life cycle as an epiphyte. The seeds of primary hemiepiphytes germinate in the canopy and initially...
the genus root both into the soil and over trees, it is considered a hemiepiphyte. The leaves are alternate, leathery, dark green, very large, from 25–90...
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a fig tree in the family Moraceae. It is a large, stately evergreen hemiepiphyte and is native to southeastern Asia. Ficus altissima is a large, evergreen...
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up to 25 metres (82 ft) or taller, and usually begins its life as a hemiepiphyte high in the branches of a mature forest tree; over centuries the young...
the genus Ficus. Beginning as a seedling that grows on other plants (hemiepiphyte) or rocks (lithophyte), F. rubiginosa matures into a tree 30 m (100 ft)...
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internodes 6–11 cm long. After it grows upwards, the base of the stem of the hemiepiphyte dies and rots, thereby losing its connection to the soil. "World Checklist...
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Peperomia venezueliana is a species of herb and hemiepiphyte subshrub from the genus Peperomia. It grows in wet tropical biomes. It was discovered by Casimir...
genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they...
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xerophytes (e.g., cacti, cactoid Euphorbias), but CAM is also found in hemiepiphytes (e.g., Clusia); lithophytes (e.g., Sedum, Sempervivum); terrestrial...
philodendrons can be classified into two types: primary and secondary hemiepiphytes. A primary hemiepiphytic philodendron starts life high up in the canopy...
endemic to mainland Australia; and Ficus macrophylla f. columnaris, a hemiepiphyte lacking a distinct main trunk and endemic to Lord Howe Island. Review...
characteristic ribbed orange and red cylindrical syconia. It begins life as a hemiepiphyte, later becoming a tree up to 25 m (82 ft) tall. F. pleurocarpa is one...
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46 in) long and 18–29 mm (0.71–1.14 in) in diameter. It begins life as a hemiepiphyte. F. watkinsiana grows on another tree, using it as physical support,...
genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes of the family Moraceae, which are collectively known as fig trees or...
the arum family (Araceae) has been described as both an epiphyte and hemiepiphyte that exhibits an upward vining growth habit. The lamina surface is classically...
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plant, and it also gets nutrients from leaf-litter. M. gambensis is a hemiepiphyte, which means that it spends a part of its lifecycle as an epiphyte. M...
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