Aroids: Plants That Grow on Things

In July's Plant Parenting column, we learned about orchids and other epiphytic plants, which grow on the surfaces of plants or objects.

- Wilson Wong

This month, explore hemi-epiphyte plants, which spend part of their lives rooted in the ground.

They can be classified into primary or secondary hemi-epiphytes.

Aroids are members of the Arum family (Araceae), and many species are secondary hemi-epiphytes. They start out growing in the ground and, later in life, grow as epiphytes on trees.

Plants from the genera Philodendron, Monstera, Epipremnum, Rhaphidophora, Syngonium, and Anthurium, with their distinctive foliage, are popular aroids often grown in high-rise and outdoor gardens.

In retail nurseries, hemi-epiphytic aroids sold as potted plants appear as an attractive cluster of leaves. With time, plants adopt a vining habit. Those with thinner stems develop a trailing habit with cascading stems.

In many species with such a growth habit, leaves become smaller with time. Plants may also produce leafless stems.

A closer look at the stems of hemi-epiphytic aroids will reveal small, stubby nodes along the stem. Roots are produced from each node and take up nutrients and water.