How do you describe this interaction between the orchid and the mango tree?

Question

An orchid plant is growing on the branch of a mango tree. How do you describe this interaction between the orchid and the mango tree?

Answer 1

An orchid growing on a mango tree branch is an epiphyte. Epiphytes are plants growing on other plants which however, do not derive nutrition from them. This relationship therefore exists as commensalism . There is a commensalism between a mango tree and an orchid, where one species benefits from the other while the other remains unaffected. The orchid is benefited by the above interaction because it receives support, while the mango tree remains unaffected.