Epiphyte

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Epiphyte \Ep"i*phyte\, n. [Gr. 'epi` upon + fyto`n plant, ? to
     grow: cf. F. ['e]piphyte.]
     1. (Bot.) An air plant which grows on other plants, but does
        not derive its nourishment from them. See {Air plant}.
        [1913 Webster]
  


     2. (Med.) A vegetable parasite growing on the surface of the
        body. Epiphytic

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  epiphyte
       n : plant that derives moisture and nutrients from the air and
           rain; usually grows on another plant but not parasitic on
           it [syn: {air plant}, {aerophyte}, {epiphytic plant}]