It is only by the botanical structure of the flowers that the orchid may be readily distinguished, the epiphytic character being of little significance botanically.
"My Studio Neighbors"
William Hamilton Gibson
His aerial creations resemble the blossoms of the epiphytic orchids, which have no root in the soil, but draw their nourishment from the moisture of the air.
"Brief History of English and American Literature"
Henry A. Beers
I. General, local, and particular causes of destruction are constantly reacting on organized creatures, and these causes account for those epiphytic diseases which infest plants, the epizootic diseases which spread mortality among the brute creation, and the epidemic, which strike and are fatal to the human species.
"On the cattle plague: or, Contagious typhus in horned cattle. Its history, origin, description, and treatment"
Honoré Bourguignon