Living on air

Silvery leaves hang in chains.

Bristly moss produces spores that can grow into new moss plants.

These stiff leaves are specially adapted to absorb moisture from the air. The undivided fronds grow up to 59 in (150 cm) in length.

Dense cushions of this moss grow in shady, damp areas.

Forked fronds like a deer’s antlers give this plant its name.

Not all plants grow in soil. Some, known as epiphytes, anchor themselves onto other plants or tree trunks instead. These plants do not take nutrients from their hosts, however; they absorb water and nutrients from the air and rain, or sometimes from the dead leaves that collect around their base. Mosses such as fissidens moss or orthotrichum moss can often be seen growing on walls or tree trunks. These tiny plants survive by storing water like a sponge. They then use this water to make food. Spanish moss is not really a moss at all, but a flowering plant. It is one of about

Waterproof leaves come in many colors and collect pools of water at their center.

Long strings of flowers have a sweet scent to attract insect pollinators.

Frogs, insects, and even crabs can be found living in bromeliad pools.

Rain forests are divided into four layers, each with its own unique set of plants and animals. Fungi living on the dark forest floor break down plant matter. Shrubs and bushes in the under canopy shelter small animals and predators in the shadow of a full, leafy canopy, which is home to birds and climbing animals. Emergent trees tower above all others, housing high fliers such as eagles and bats.

Emergent layer

Canopy Male bees attack the orchid, mistaking it for a rival, and pollinating it

as they do so.

These yellow flowers resemble the golden gowns of dancing ladies, giving this orchid its name.

Dancing ladi es orch i d The strap-shaped fronds grow up to 3 ft (1 m) long. Leaves are covered with a waxy layer to reduce evaporation.

Under canopy

Forest floor

650 plants known as air plants. They take their name from their ability to use their leaves to absorb water from the air around them. Many epiphytic orchids grow in humid environments such as rain forests. They collect moisture from the air, too, but use fleshy roots to do this, rather than their leaves. The staghorn fern also uses its roots to take in water from its humid environment, producing fronds that lie flat against the tree trunk to prevent them from drying out. The crowns of fronds at the top of this plant and other epiphytic ferns, such as the bird’s nest fern and the long strap fern, also collect water and falling leaves, which provide much-needed nutrients for these plants.