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33-655: Sarraceniaceae are a family of pitcher plants , belonging to order Ericales (reassigned from Nepenthales ). The family comprises three extant genera: Sarracenia (North American pitcher plants), Darlingtonia (the cobra lily or California pitcher plant), and Heliamphora (sun pitchers). The extinct Archaeamphora longicervia may also belong to this family, although later studies question that interpretation. All three are carnivorous plants that lure insects with nectar and use their elongated, tube-shaped leaves filled with water and digestive enzymes to catch and consume them. Digestive enzymes are not always produced by

66-406: A comprehensive waxy coating on the surface of the inner pitcher wall. The plants themselves are often climbers, accessing the canopy of their habitats using the aforementioned tendrils, although others are found on the ground in forest clearings, or as epiphytes on trees. The New World pitcher plants (Sarraceniaceae), which comprise three genera, are ground-dwelling herbs whose pitchers arise from

99-525: A handful of species in each of the spikemosses , other ferns, Gnetales , and cycads . The first important monograph on epiphytic plant ecology was written by A. F. W. Schimper ( Die epiphytische Vegetation Amerikas , 1888). Assemblages of large epiphytes occur most abundantly in moist tropical forests , but mosses and lichens occur as epiphytes in almost all biomes. In Europe there are no dedicated epiphytic plants using roots, but rich assemblages of mosses and lichens grow on trees in damp areas (mainly

132-556: A horizontal rhizome . In this family, the entire leaf forms the pitcher, as opposed to Nepenthaceae, where the pitcher arises from the terminal portion of the leaf. The species of the genus Heliamphora , which are popularly known as marsh pitchers (or erroneously as sun pitchers), have a simple rolled-leaf pitcher, at the tip of which is a spoon-like structure that secretes nectar. They are restricted to areas of high rainfall in South America . The North American genus Sarracenia are

165-425: A significant effect on the microenvironment of their host, and of ecosystems where they are abundant, as they hold water in the canopy and decrease water input to the soil. Some non-vascular epiphytes such as lichens and mosses are well known for their ability to take up water rapidly. Epiphytes create a significantly cooler and more moist environment in the host plant canopy, potentially greatly reducing water loss by

198-440: A solution of amino acids , peptides , phosphates , ammonium and urea , from which the plant obtains its mineral nutrition (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus ). Like all carnivorous plants, pitcher plants all grow in locations where the soil is too poor in minerals and/or too acidic for most plants to survive. Pitcher plants supplement available nutrients and minerals (which plants normally obtain through their roots) with

231-399: Is a plant that spends only half of its life without the ground before the roots can reach or make contact with the ground. Orchids are a common example of holo-epiphytes and Strangler Figs are an example of hemi-epiphytes. Epiphytes are not connected to the soil, and consequently must get nutrients from other sources, such as fog, dew, rain and mist, or from nutrients being released from

264-412: Is associated with increased insect retention to help capture flying insects such as flies, whereas increased fluid acidity can decrease insect killing-time, which can help capture crawling insects such as ants. Some pitcher plants contain mutualistic insect larvae , which feed on trapped prey, and whose excreta the plant absorbs. Whatever the mechanism of digestion, the prey items are converted into

297-457: Is not a plant may be called an epibiont . Epiphytes are usually found in the temperate zone (e.g., many mosses , liverworts , lichens , and algae ) or in the tropics (e.g., many ferns , cacti , orchids , and bromeliads ). Epiphyte species make good houseplants due to their minimal water and soil requirements. Epiphytes provide a rich and diverse habitat for other organisms including animals, fungi, bacteria, and myxomycetes . Epiphyte

330-607: Is one of the subdivisions of the Raunkiær system . The term epiphytic derives from the Greek epi- (meaning 'upon') and phyton (meaning 'plant'). Epiphytic plants are sometimes called "air plants" because they do not root in soil. However, that term is inaccurate, as there are many aquatic species of algae that are epiphytes on other aquatic plants (seaweeds or aquatic angiosperms ). The best-known epiphytic plants include mosses , orchids , and bromeliads such as Spanish moss (of

363-562: The Bromeliaceae . The families Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniaceae are the most species-rich families of pitcher plants. The Nepenthaceae contains a single genus , Nepenthes , containing over 100 species and numerous hybrids and cultivars. In this genus of Old World pitcher plants, the pitchers are borne at the end of tendrils that extend from the midrib of an otherwise unexceptional leaf. Old World pitcher plants are typically characterized as having reduced and symmetrical pitchers with

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396-566: The bats. It is widely assumed pitfall traps evolved by epiascidiation (infolding of the leaf with the adaxial or upper surface becoming the inside of the pitcher), with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over evolutionary time. The pitcher trap evolved independently in three eudicot lineages and one monocot lineage, representing a case of convergent evolution . Some pitcher plant families (such as Nepenthaceae) are placed within clades consisting mostly of flypaper traps , indicating that some pitchers may have evolved from

429-426: The common ancestors of today's flypaper traps by loss of mucilage. Epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phorophytes . Epiphytes take part in nutrient cycles and add to both

462-450: The constituents of their insect prey. Mature plants of Nepenthes lowii attract tree shrews ( Tupaia montana ), which feed on nectar that the plant produces but also defecate into the pitcher, providing nitrates and other nutrients. The plant and tree shrew have a symbiotic relationship . The rim of N. lowii is not slippery so that tree shrews can easily get in and out; it provides more nectar than other pitcher plants. The shape of

495-406: The cupped leaf, often by visual lures such as anthocyanin pigments, and nectar . Many pitcher plants exhibit patterns of ultraviolet coloration which may play a role in attracting insects. Some species, such as Cephalotus follicularis , likely use camouflage to trap insects, as their coloration matches that of the surrounding environment and the plants are often embedded in the substrate such that

528-492: The divergence times in Sarraceniaceae could be much older. The family could have originated about 88 million years ago during Late Cretaceous. The Sarracenia and Heliamphora clade could have diverged from Darlingtonia around 54 million years ago during Early Eocene. Sarracenia and Heliamphora could have split around 36 million years ago during Late Eocene. These plants grow in nutrient-poor, often acidic soil and use

561-411: The diversity and biomass of the ecosystem in which they occur, like any other organism. They are an important source of food for many species. Typically, the older parts of a plant will have more epiphytes growing on them. Epiphytes differ from parasites in that they grow on other plants for physical support and do not necessarily affect the host negatively. An organism that grows on another organism that

594-613: The entrance of the pitcher. The species in the genus Sarracenia readily hybridize, making their classification a complex matter. The purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea , is the floral emblem of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador , Canada. The Cephalotaceae is a monotypic family with but one genus and species, Cephalotus follicularis . This species has a small (2–5 cm) pitcher similar in form to those of Nepenthes . Unlike in Nepenthes , in Cephalotus follicularis

627-510: The family originated in South America about 47 million years ago and spread to North America soon after, about 35 million years ago. The Sarracenia and Heliamphora clade diverged from Darlingtonia around this time, most likely due to a cooling event at the beginning of the Oligocene . Sarracenia diverged from Heliamphora later, around 23 million years ago. However, recent study found that

660-417: The genus Tillandsia ), but epiphytes may be found in every major group of the plant kingdom. Eighty-nine percent of (or about 24,000) terrestrial epiphyte species are flowering plants . The second largest group are the leptosporangiate ferns , with about 2,800 species (10% of epiphytes). About one-third of all fern species are epiphytes. The third largest group is clubmosses , with 190 species, followed by

693-422: The ground rooted plants by decomposition or leaching, and dinitrogen fixation. Epiphytic plants attached to their hosts high in the canopy have an advantage over herbs restricted to the ground where there is less light and herbivores may be more active. Epiphytic plants are also important to certain animals that may live in their water reservoirs, such as some types of frogs and arthropods . Epiphytes can have

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726-464: The ground, and Sarracenia psittacina has pitchers that grow horizontally. The purple pitcher plant ( Sarracenia purpurea ) is the official flower of Newfoundland and Labrador . Pitcher plant The term "pitcher plant" generally refers to members of the Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniaceae families, but similar pitfall traps are employed by the monotypic Cephalotaceae and some members of

759-873: The host through transpiration. CAM metabolism , a water-preserving metabolism present among various plant taxa , is particularly relevant to epiphytic communities. For example, it is estimated that among epiphytic orchids, as many as 50% are likely to use it. Other relevant epiphytic families which display such metabolism are Bromeliacee (e.g. in genera Aechmea and Tillandsia ), Cactaceae (e.g. in Rhipsalis and Epiphyllum ) and Apocynaceae (e.g. in Hoya and Dischidia ). The ecology of epiphytes in marine environments differs from those in terrestrial ecosystems. Epiphytes in marine systems are species of algae, bacteria, fungi, sponges, bryozoans, ascidians, protozoa, crustaceans, molluscs and any other sessile organism that grows on

792-517: The insects as a nutritional supplement. As such, growth of carnivorous pitchers is plastic: as soil nitrogen increases, Sarracenia produces fewer pitchers. The pitchers originate from a rhizome and die back during the winter dormancy. Plants of the genus Sarracenia occur mostly in Sphagnum bogs . Most Sarraceniaceae have tall, narrow pitchers that are vertical or nearly so. Sarracenia purpurea , however, has short, squat, bulbous pitchers close to

825-414: The petiole is attached to the rear of the upper trap rim rather than to the base of the pitcher. The species occurs in only one location in southwestern Australia . A few species of bromeliads ( Bromeliaceae ), such as Brocchinia reducta and Catopsis berteroniana , are known or suspected to be carnivorous. Foraging, flying, or crawling insects such as flies are attracted to a cavity formed by

858-743: The pitcher rim and the position of the nectar ensure that the animal's hindquarters are over the rim while it feeds. Nepenthes rafflesiana var. elongata has a similar relationship with Hardwicke's woolly bats ( Kerivoula hardwickii ). The bats roost inside the pitchers and the plants derive much of their foliar nitrogen from the feces of the bats. Compared to other varieties of Nepenthes rafflesiana that do not exhibit this form of mutualism, N. rafflesiana var. elongata has elongated pitchers that can accommodate both single bats and mother-juvenile pairs. As well as its elongated shape, N. rafflesiana var. elongata has reduced volumes of pitcher fluid compared to other species, leaving more space to accommodate

891-417: The pitcher traps are called phytotelmata . They drown the insect, whose body is gradually dissolved. This may occur by bacterial action (the bacteria being washed into the pitcher by rainfall), or by digestive enzymes secreted by the plant itself. Pitcher trap fluids largely vary in their viscoelasticity and acidity, which then dictates which type of prey they can target. For example, increased viscoelasticity

924-515: The plants themselves. Digestive mutualisms are common in Sarraceniaceae: both Sarracenia and Darlingtonia rely on commensal bacteria to supplement or produce all of their enzymes. Many species also use downward-pointing hairs and waxy secretions to make it difficult for insects to escape. Sarracenia and Darlingtonia are native to North America , while Heliamphora is native to South America . Previous phylogenetic analysis suggests that

957-416: The surface of a plant, typically seagrasses or algae. Settlement of epiphytic species is influenced by a number of factors including light, temperature, currents, nutrients, and trophic interactions. Algae are the most common group of epiphytes in marine systems. Photosynthetic epiphytes account for a large amount of the photosynthesis in systems in which they occur. This is typically between 20 and 60% of

990-416: The total primary production of the ecosystem. They are a general group of organisms and are highly diverse, providing food for a great number of fauna. Snail and nudibranch species are two common grazers of epiphytes. Epiphyte species composition and the amount of epiphytes can be indicative of changes in the environment. Recent increases in epiphyte abundance have been linked to excessive nitrogen put into

1023-565: The traps are flush with the ground. Olfactory cues can also play a role in attraction. For example, Nepenthes rafflesian a uses flower-scent mimicry to attract insects to its pitchers. The rim of the pitcher (peristome) is slippery when moistened by condensation or nectar, causing insects to fall into the trap. The walls of the pitfall may be covered with waxy scales, protruding aldehyde crystals, cuticular folds, downward-pointing hairs, or guard-cell-originating lunate cells, to help prevent escape. The small bodies of liquid contained within

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1056-455: The trumpet pitchers, which have a more complex trap than Heliamphora , with an operculum , which prevents excess accumulation of rainwater in most of the species. The single species in the California genus Darlingtonia is popularly known as the cobra plant, due to its possession of an inflated "lid" with elegant false-exits, and a forked "tongue", which serves to ferry ants and other prey to

1089-405: The western coastal fringe), and the common polypody fern grows epiphytically along branches. Rarely, grass, small bushes or small trees may grow in suspended soils up trees (typically in a rot-hole). Epiphytes however, can generally be categorized into holo-epiphytes or hemi-epiphytes. A holo-epiphyte is a plant that spends its whole life cycle without contact with the ground and a hemi-epiphyte

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