ˈepəˌfīt noun
( -s )
Etymology: epi- + -phyte
1. : a plant that grows upon another plant (as a tree) nonparasitically or sometimes upon some other object (as a building or telegraph wire), derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone (as many mosses, liverworts, lichens, and algae) and in the tropics (as many ferns, cacti, orchids, and bromeliads) — called also air plant
2. : a plant ectoparasitic on a human or animal body