In botany phorophytes are plants, on which

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a 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 phoroph ...

s grow. The term is composed of ''phoro'', meaning bearer or carrier and ''phyte'', meaning plant. Corkscrew - epiphyte growing on bald cypress

Commensalistic interactions

The epiphytes benefit from the habitats provided, but the phorophyte is unaffected. In other words, the obligate epiphytes utilize phorophytes as habitats, without parasitizing them.Sáyago, R., Lopezaraiza-Mikel, M., Quesada, M., Álvarez-Añorve, M. Y., Cascante-Marín, A., & Bastida, J. M. (2013). Evaluating factors that predict the structure of a commensalistic epiphyte–phorophyte network. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280(1756), 20122821.

Phorophyte specificity

Different phorophytes provide different conditions to the plants, which grown on their surface. The bark pH, degree of bark shedding, the presence of milk sap and the density and size of bark lenticels influence the occurrence of epiphytes. Bark ornamentations affect the establishment os seeds and the chemical composition of the bark may be inhibiting germination. Some epiphytic orchids tend to grow on phorophytes with rough bark. Conservation efforts of orchids need to account for the conservation of phorophytes as well.Migenis, L. E., & Ackerman, J. D. (1993). Orchid—phorophyte relationships in a forest watershed in Puerto Rico. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 9(2), 231-240.

References

{{Reflist Botany Plant ecology