Hi, members: >Now it is getting more interesting! Can an epiphyte be a geophyte? I'd >say, "No." That would be an oxymoron. I take the "geo" part to actually >mean "in the ground." But am I correct in understanding it this way? I'd say yes--because a bulb may grow on something, as rocks or trees for instance, and also in the ground. And how do you class true bulbs which have only their roots in the ground, with the bulb aboveground--a garden onion for instance? Many orchids have "pseudobulbs", may loose their leaves, and certainly have a dormant period. They may also grow as an epiphyte or grow in the ground depending on circumstances. >I also understand the term "geophyte" to indicate a dormant period in the >annual growth cycle. One definition I saw somewhere defined geophytes as >herbaceous perennials etc. An above-ground bulb might fit that definition >if for part of each year it were totally leafless. >1) a) Does in fact the "geo" in "geophyte" mean "in the ground" >or b) can it also mean "on the ground"? Or does it refer to "the Earth" as in geosyncronous orbit? >2) a) Does a plant have to be an herbaceous perennial to be a >geophyte? b) Does a plant have to have a leafless period in each annual >growth cycle to be a geophyte? Are Crinums geophytes--not all are deciduous, and (some)are bulbs. Suppose a plant is a true bulb, and a wildfire burns off all foliage, but the bulb survives-is it a geophyte while the same species a mile away, not burned and still possessing foliage, not a geophyte? A plant exposed to drought or frost, and loosing its' foliage, while a similiar plant retains its' foliage if not so exposed? A plant in a greenhouse, vs. one outside? In the end, isn't the term geophyte about the same as the term "genus" or "species"? Ie, a manmade term used to describe a concept, which may or may not accurately describe what is actually observed in nature? I can't even define the difference between plants and animals. Fungi are plants, with no roots, usually no chlorophyll, so do not directly manufacture their own food-although they can break down food elements from other plants and animals. Bacteria are animals, what are viruses-or prions? Plants or animals do not care what we call them, they just try to survive and propagate, and adapt to any available ecological niche. The problem is not the natural world, it is that mankind is not able to accurately label or define the concepts it tries to use to describe what can be observed in the real world. My problem isn't to label things, but to understand what they are-and sometimes, try to share that understanding. If I say "geophyte" can you get a general understanding of what I mean, even if not all the details of what I understand? Labels, terms, or names are a kind of "shorthand" to share understanding. Ken