David H. Benzing explains in nontechnical language the anatomical and physiological adaptations that allow ephiphytes to conserve water, thrive without the benefit of soil, and engage in unusual relationships with animals.

David H. Benzing is Professor of Biology Emeritus at Oberlin College and the Jessie B. Cox Chair in Tropical Biology at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. He is the author of Bromeliaceae: Profile of an Adaptive Radiation, Vascular Epiphytes: General Biology and Associated Biota, and The Biology of the Bromeliads and coauthor of The Native Bromeliads of Florida.

Modest in size, but not in content and scope, Benzing's pithy gem of a synthesis appears 22 years after his technical monograph, Vascular Epiphytes (1990).... Summing Up: Highly recommended.

William Stern:

David Benzing's exuberance is evident throughout this book. His love of epiphytes... captivates the reader.... Benzing’s is a well-conceived and well-executed testimony to epiphytes and serves to bring together up-to-date information about these not very well understood plants. It provides a basis for further inquiry to round out our understanding of this peculiar life style of plants and points out areas where further study would be productive.

K. C. Burns:

Benzing's love for epiphytes is clearly evident, and the book provides an excellent introduction to the field.... By starting from first principles, it provides a tidy introduction to field botany to an undergraduate audience.... All the basic principles of botany are covered using epiphytes as model organisms.... The systematic overview of epiphyte diversity in particular provides an important, holistic grounding in epiphyte taxonomy, biogeography, and systematics.... There is something in it for everyone, from newcomers to plant biology to those who regularly climb trees to do their research.

Gerhard Zotz, University of Oldenburg and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute:

More than twenty years after his highly praised technical monograph on vascular epiphytes, David H. Benzing leaves the ivory tower and publishes a book on 'air plants' for a broader audience. His enthusiasm for epiphytes is contagious; every page is filled with insights gained in a lifetime devoted to the study of these plants. Highly readable, his account is still technically correct and a very stimulating read not only for the layperson but also for any biology student or biologist with an interest in epiphytes.

Margaret D. Lowman, Director of the Nature Research Center, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciencesand Research Professor of Physical and Mathematical SciencesNorth Carolina State University, author of Life in the Treetops:

Inspired by seeing an unusual plant at a childhood birthday party that led to a distinguished academic career, David H. Benzing has devoted his lifelong research to epiphytes, the extraordinary botanical denizens of the canopy. This book represents a comprehensive text covering all facets of air plants, required reading for both professional botanists and plant-lovers alike.