Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Epiphytic Bromeliad (?) in a Tree in Chacala


Chacala has gotten a lot of rain this winter, which is very usual for this part of Mexico. But the plants are loving it. Everything is green and lush. Usually the dry season here runs from mid October thru mid-June, but we're getting a break this year. Or at least the plants are. Gringo visitors to Chacala aren't so happy with the rain. Oh well.
There is a plant with redflowers growing in the crotch of this huge Huanacaste tree. I Don't remember seeing blossoms up there before. They look lovely.
I don't know what they are called, but I assume there are from the family of plants hook themselves up to other plants. Epiphytes I am told. I can't remember what they are called and I am not near a book. I am sitting about twenty feet above the ocean, watching the waves and waiting for the sunset.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The word you're looking for is epiphyte, which is a growth habit used by plants of many families (including orchids and bromeliads), meaning simply that they grow on other plants, not in the ground.

Yours actually looks more like an epiphytic bromeliad than an orchid to me -- do the leaves form rosettes? -- but it's hard to say without a closeup.

["Normal" plants can also end up growing on trees if they collect enough organic matter].

Andee said...

Thanks alot for your help.I wish I could get a closer shot of the bloom. it's too far up in the tree and at the wrong angle for me to take a better photo.