Hemiepiphyte

but which later grows roots down into the ground. The seeds of hemiepiphytes germinate in the canopy and initially live epiphytically. They send roots downward, and these roots eventually make contact with the ground.

Strangler figs are hemiepiphytic - they begin life as epiphytes but after making contact with the ground they encircle their host tree and "strangle" it. This usually results in the death of the host tree, either through girdling or through competition for light.cite journal | quotes = no | last = Putz | first = Francis E. | coauthors = N. Michele Holbrook | year = 1989 | month = | title = Strangler Fig Rooting Habits and Nutrient Relations in the Llanos of Venezuela | journal = American Journal of Botany | volume = 76 | issue = 6 | pages = 781–788 | doi = | url = http://www.jstor.org/pss/2444534 ]

References