epiphyte

noun

(Gr. epi: upon, above; phyton, plant) A plant growing on, but not parasitic on, another plant, and merely uses the plant for structural support, or as a way to get off the ground and into the canopy environment (often loosely applied to plants, such as orchids, that grow on vertical rock faces). An epiphytic plant then derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain. Many orchids and bromeliads are epiphytes. Cf. parasite, saprophyte.