An epiphyte gets its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain , and sometimes from debris accumulating around it . The ones in the temperate zone are often mosses , liverworts , lichens and algae , and in the tropics ferns , cacti , orchids , and bromeliads . An epiphyte ( or air plants ) is a plant that grows upon another plant ( such as a tree ) non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object ( such as a building or a telegraph wire ) , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it , and is found in the temperate zone ( as many mosses , liverworts , lichens and algae ) and in the tropics ( as many ferns , cacti , orchids , and bromeliads ) .