Maiden hair Fern
Spleenwort
Asplenium sp.
Growing epiphytically on a leaning tree in old growth woods. Tugen Hills, Kenya. Dec 2015.
Epiphytes are sometimes called "air plants" a reference to their habit of growing not in the soil, but rather anchored to other plants, normally trees, higher in the canopy of the forest where there is more light, but also less water. Special adaptations include tough, anchoring roots or rhizomes to hold fast onto bark and to accumulate some detritus. Epiphytes are also adapted to occasional water scarcity, but are also normally restricted to habitats with higher rainfall and/or humidity. Yet another important adaptation addresses the scarcity or nutrients necessary for plant growth such as phosphorous and nitrogen which would normally be obtained from the soil.
