The plants living on the fig tree are a complex group. There are a variety of observations that comprised their characteristics. These included attachment, leaf color, texture and morphology. The common characteristic was strong attachment.
The attachment characteristic is a good method to assist in the description of plants not only at this site but also we use this method in our Epicollect5 observations*. Attachment variations facilitate later identification with the help of the botanist when we seek confirmation of the identity of plants. The attachment methods are:
- Entwining
- Air roots
- Tendrils
- Adhesive pads
When you look at the observation database you will see how this is applied in the field without the luxury of accompaniment of an expert botanist for common name or taxonomy. Each of these methods have different effects on the supporting plant as we will see later. Further I will sample the tree and observe thin sections of the samples with microscopy.
Here are samples of the observed attachments. There are no signs of adhesive pad attachment on this site.
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#attachment #air roots #tendrils #entwining #adhesive pads
Everglades Ark 