Die epiphytische Vegetation Amerikas

The work surveys epiphytic plant communities across the Americas, cataloguing taxonomic groups and relating seed and fruit structure to community composition. It classifies epiphytes by feeding strategies and describes morphological adaptations of roots, leaves and storage organs, with detailed attention to orchids, bromeliads and other families. Water relations, including leaf water uptake, velamen and cisterns, and stages from accidental epiphytes to highly specialized forms are examined. Patterns of vertical and regional distribution, effects of light, humidity and bark properties, and comparisons between forest, savanna and montane zones lead to conclusions about dispersal, adaptation and the contribution of physiological traits to plant biogeography.