Now it is getting more interesting! Can an epiphyte be a geophyte? I'd say, "No." That would be an oxymoron. I take the "geo" part to actually mean "in the ground." But am I correct in understanding it this way? I also understand the term "geophyte" to indicate a dormant period in the annual growth cycle. One definition I saw somewhere defined geophytes as herbaceous perennials etc. An above-ground bulb might fit that definition if for part of each year it were totally leafless. Where Clivia are concerned, I am not sure that the roots store much food. In any case, I think that in nature a lot of clivia plants have most of their roots on the surface of the soil rather than in the ground. On the other hand, in containers, old clivia plants often have a caudix-like main underground root -- or is it just an extension of the crown? Anyway, Clivia seem to be honorary bulbs by reason of family relationships, sort of like guilt by association. So, 1) a) Does in fact the "geo" in "geophyte" mean "in the ground" or b) can it also mean "on the ground"? 2) a) Does a plant have to be an herbaceous perennial to be a geophyte? b) Does a plant have to have a leafless period in each annual growth cycle to be a geophyte? 3) If a caudiciform plant were an herbaceous perennial, etc., why should it not also be a geophyte? Jim Shields in central Indiana, where so far the winter ice storm has not hit us ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA