Some epiphytes have structural adaptations that increase water uptake. The aerial roots of some epiphytes can take up moisture from the humid air. The velamen covering the aerial roots of some orchids may function in the absorption of water and also reduce water loss. Some bromeliads have rosette shoot systems that form "tanks" that can catch and hold large quantities of rainfall. Some epiphytes are succulent and store water in their stems.

      Tillandsia usneoides, Spanish moss, is a common epiphyte found draped from the branches of trees in humid habitats such as those found around the Gulf of Mexico. Water and nutrients may be captured from water running down the stem of the host. More commonly, water and nutrients are absorbed from moisture in the air via specialized hygroscopic trichomes.

      Ants are critical to many epiphytes. The ant plant, Myrmecodia, has a swollen shoot containing chambers that serve as a home for ants. The ants bring debris into the chambers and provide the plant with nutrients. Dischidia rafflesiana is another epiphyte that provides a home to ants. This vine develops inflated "pocket" leaves that are inhabited by ants. These pockets also collect rainfall. Roots form at the node above the pocket leaf and grow into the pocket and take up the water from the rain and the nutrients left by the ants.

      Epiphytic plants hold onto their hosts by specialized attachment roots that can enter crevices on the bark of their host or twine around branches. Many aerial roots are photosynthetic. Some epiphytic orchids lack foliage leaves and depend solely on their roots for photosynthesis. These orchids usually have minimal shoots that produce flowers for reproduction. Some epiphytic ferns, like the staghorn fern mentioned in a previous section, develop clasping or mantle leaves that keep the plant firmly attached to the host.