Often growing far above the ground, "air plants" (or epiphytes) defy many of our common perceptions about plants. The majority use their roots only for attachment in the crowns of larger, usually woody plants—or to objects such as rocks and buildings—and derive moisture and nutrients from the atmosphere and by collecting falling debris. Only the mistletoes are true parasites. Epiphytes are not anomalies and there are approximately 28,000 species—about 10 percent of the higher or vascular plants—that grow this way. Many popular houseplants, including numerous aroids, bromeliads, ferns, and orchids, rank among the most familiar examples. In Air Plants, David H. Benzing takes a reader on a tour of the many taxonomic groups to which the epiphytes belong and explains in nontechnical language the anatomical and physiological adaptations that allow these plants to conserve water, thrive without the benefit of soil, and engage in unusual relationships with animals such as frogs and ants. Benzing’s comprehensive account covers topics including ecology, evolution, photosynthesis and water relations, mineral nutrition, reproduction, and the nature of the forest canopy as habitat for the free-living and parasitic epiphytes. It also pays special attention to important phenomena such as adaptive trade-offs and leaf economics. Drawing on the author’s deep experience with epiphytes and the latest scientific research, this book is accessible to readers unfamiliar with technical botany; it features a lavish illustration program, references, a glossary, and tables.
Do bromeliads ever harm their hosts? Are they parasites? Can any of them really live on air? How many kinds live in Florida? Are the pretty ones easy to grow in my garden? This is the first book on Florida's bromeliads and will appeal to both scientists and general readers interested in the state and its unique flora. Sixteen of the world's 3400 kinds of bromeliads are found in Florida, along with two natural hybrids. These so-called "air plants" thrive on trees and shrubs as epiphytes, which means they have no roots in soil. They are not parasites, as they use their woody hosts only for mechanical support. Spanish moss and ball moss are found in great numbers throughout the state (and farther north). Most of the rest prefer the warmer climate of the peninsula, many in the cypress swamp forests of south Florida, where they occur so abundantly. This long-awaited book introduces them all, with means of identification, characteristics, distribution maps, and color photographs.
This synthesis of the growing body of information from research on epiphytes and their relations with other tropical biota provides a comprehensive overview of basic functions, life history, evolution, and the place of epiphytes in complex tropical communities. Epiphytes comprise more than one-third of the tropical vascular flora in some tropical forests. Growing within tropical forest canopies, epiphytes are subject to severe environmental constraints, and their diverse adaptations make them a rich resource for studies of water balance, nutrition, reproduction and evolution.
Often growing far above the ground, "air plants" (or epiphytes) defy many of our common perceptions about plants. The majority use their roots only for attachment in the crowns of larger, usually woody plants-or to objects such as rocks and buildings-and derive moisture and nutrients from the atmosphere and by collecting falling debris. Only the mistletoes are true parasites. Epiphytes are not anomalies and there are approximately 28,000 species-about 10 percent of the higher or vascular plants-that grow this way. Many popular houseplants, including numerous aroids, bromeliads, ferns, and orchids, rank among the most familiar examples. In Air Plants, David H. Benzing takes a reader on a tour of the many taxonomic groups to which the epiphytes belong and explains in nontechnical language the anatomical and physiological adaptations that allow these plants to conserve water, thrive without the benefit of soil, and engage in unusual relationships with animals such as frogs and ants. Benzing's comprehensive account covers topics including ecology, evolution, photosynthesis and water relations, mineral nutrition, reproduction, and the nature of the forest canopy as habitat for the free-living and parasitic epiphytes. It also pays special attention to important phenomena such as adaptive trade-offs and leaf economics. Drawing on the author's deep experience with epiphytes and the latest scientific research, this book is accessible to readers unfamiliar with technical botany; it features a lavish illustration program, references, a glossary, and tables.
Do bromeliads ever harm their hosts? Are they parasites? Can any of them really live on air? How many kinds live in Florida? Are the pretty ones easy to grow in my garden? This is the first book on Florida's bromeliads and will appeal to both scientists and general readers interested in the state and its unique flora. Sixteen of the world's 3400 kinds of bromeliads are found in Florida, along with two natural hybrids. These so-called "air plants" thrive on trees and shrubs as epiphytes, which means they have no roots in soil. They are not parasites, as they use their woody hosts only for mechanical support. Spanish moss and ball moss are found in great numbers throughout the state (and farther north). Most of the rest prefer the warmer climate of the peninsula, many in the cypress swamp forests of south Florida, where they occur so abundantly. This long-awaited book introduces them all, with means of identification, characteristics, distribution maps, and color photographs.
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