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Volcan Pacifica, looking towards Costa Rica
(Note the brilliant red ephiphytes on the moss-covered tree in the foreground)
Epiphytes (the term derives from the Greek epi- [meaning 'upon'] and phyton [meaning 'plant']), are organisms that grow upon or are attached to a living plant. They use photosynthesis for energy and obtain moisture either from the surface of their hosts or from the air.
The term most usually relates to higher plants, but fungi (epiphytic fungi), algae, epiphytic bacteria, lichens, ferns and mosses also exist. Epiphytic plants are sometimes called "air plants" because they do not root in soil.