air plant n 1: plant that derives moisture and nutrients from the air and rain; usually grows on another plant but not parasitic on it [syn: {air plant}, {epiphyte}, {aerophyte}, {epiphytic plant}]
Air plant \Air" plant`\ (Bot.) A plant deriving its sustenance from the air alone; an a["e]rophyte. [1913 Webster] Note: The "Florida moss" ({Tillandsia}, many tropical orchids, and most mosses and lichens are air plants. Those which are lodged upon trees, but not parasitic on them, such as the {Spanish moss} {Tillandsia usneoides}), are {epiphytes}. [1913 Webster]