[ep-uh-fahyt] 
| a plant that grows above the ground, supported nonparasitically by another plant or object, and deriving its nutrients and water from rain, the air, dust, etc.; air plant; aerophyte. |
| ep·i·phyte (ěp'ə-fīt') n. A plant, such as a tropical orchid or a staghorn fern, that grows on another plant upon which it depends for mechanical support but not for nutrients. Also called aerophyte, air plant. ep'i·phyt'ic (-fĭt'ĭk), ep'i·phyt'i·cal adj., ep'i·phyt'i·cal·ly adv. |
əˌfaɪt