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Epiphytes

Notes:

-- indicates plants commonly available in nurseries and/or garden centers in south Florida
© indicates Florida native plants
indicates plants that can tolerate wet soils or occasional flooding.
Click on linked scientific names for photos and/or more information.

Common name *Scientific name*	Size	Light	Comments
Bird’s nest anthurium -- Anthurium salviniae (Link is to related species)	60	Partial to full shade	Large, herbaceous shrub or epiphyte consisting of majestic cluster of long, erect, tropical-looking leaves with wavy margins. Flowers relatively insignificant. Other bird’s nest anthuriums also drought tolerant.
Lady-of-the-night -- Brassavola nodosa	15-18”	Bright, filtered light	Epiphytic orchid with short, slender stems concealed by tubular sheaths. Gray-green leaves usually erect, very fleshy, grooved on upper surface, and semi-cylindrical. Flowers long-lived, fragrant at night, 3.5-6” across, and vary from pale green or yellowish to nearly pure white.
Orchid -- Cattleya skinneri Culture Sheet	20”	Bright, filtered light	Stout, erect epiphyte with stiff, leathery leaves at top of each pseudobulb. Erect inflorescence emerges after several months of cool dry rest. Flowers are funnel-shaped tubes up to 3.5” across, typically evenly colored rose-purple. Numerous hybrids exist; all are drought tolerant.
Purple shell orchid -- Encyclia cochleata Culture Sheet	18”	Bright, filtered light	Epiphytic orchid with leathery, strap-like leaves. Flowers are dark purple blotches on the back of greenish-yellow, twisted sepals and petals.
Butterfly orchid © Encyclia tampensis	18”	Bright, filtered light	Rare, epiphytic orchid native to the Everglades. Flowers small, with greenish-red sepals and narrow, tubular, white/pink petals.
Night blooming cereus -- Hylocereus undatus (1.79MB pdf)	30’	Full sun to partial shade	Epiphytic, vining cactus with outstanding, scented, night- blooming flowers. Requires sturdy tree or strong pergola for support. Produces edible fruit.
Staghorn fern -- Platycerium bifurcatum	3-6’	Light to full shade	Epiphytic fern with large, flattened fronds growing out of large, smooth scales that wrap around trees or other structures, forming a large ‘nest’. Other Platycerium also drought tolerant.
Resurrection fern --© Polypodium polypodioides	6”	Light to full shade	Epiphytic fern that grows by rhizomes. Fronds deeply incised, green when wet and unfurled, but gray-scaly when dry. Plant gets its name for its ability to ‘come back to life’ after being dried up. Will cover branches and trunks of trees. Also known as Pleopeltis polypodioides.
Mistletoe cactus Rhipsalis baccifera	6’	Light to full shade	Hanging epiphytic cactus with stems to 6’ long. Bears flowers and ‘berries’.
Orchid -- Schomburgkia tibicinus	1-6’	Bright, filtered light	Epiphytic orchid with impressive 6’ flower stalks. Flowers range from brownish-orange to magenta. Must be kept dry once new growth is fully developed.
Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides	1-5’	Bright, filtered light	Weeping, hanging, gray-green epiphyte with tiny, narrow leaves and inconspicuous green flowers. Dries up during drought, but springs back to life when rain returns. Ball moss, T. recurvata, also drought tolerant.
Air plants -- Tillandsia spp.	2”-5’	Bright, filtered light	Hundreds of varieties, all having stiff, erect, linear, gray-green leaves. Thick-leaf varieties more drought tolerant. All water and nutrients taken up through leaves. Roots used as wire-like anchors. Flowers on long stalks above foliage, often brightly colored. Some are native species.