I was unable to find any specific information about how they hang on so well, but they don't penetrate living wood at all. The attachment roots apparently just intertwine with the rough bark or surface fibers. The article I was thinking of was about possible symbiosis with a mycorrhizal fungus in the rain forest canopy, not about attachments, although since this fungus entangles with both the roots and tree bark, it might help stabilize the bromeliad attachment in the wild, as well. I don't think there is any such association in our tanks. When you drill to insert a stolon, this also is able to put out some rootlets, enhancing the attachment.

I was reminded however, of the name of the specialized leaf structures that enable them to absorb extra nutrients from the detritus, which are called "trichomes." They are interesting little scales that direct the moisture down into other cells in a pore-like structure with other cells that take up the nutrients at the base. A lot of green leaved plants can take up some moisture and some nutrients from the stomata, but most of these are located on the under surface of the leaves and not particularly specialized to do so almost exclusively.

I also learned that the bromeliads such as the Neoregelias and others that hold water in their leaf axils are called "tank bromeliads."

Another interesting thing I just read, is that many bromeliads are semi-carnivorous, since the scales reflect UV light in such a way as to confuse flying insects so they can't tell up from down and will fly into the axils of water and drown, further enriching the "soup du jour," or maybe a better expression would be the "pease porridge, nine days old."
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

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