Photo Essay Photo Essay

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Mexico: Tank bromeliad (Tillandsia) growing on cactus

Epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants without parasitizing them) are not restricted to the rainforest. This tank bromeliad in the genus Tillandsia (Bromeliaceae) is growing on the trunk of a cactus, Cephalocereus tetetzo (Cactaceae) in southern Puebla. The Bromeliaceae and the Cactaceae are the two largest families that are restricted to the New World.