Foliicolous

Foliicolous refers to the growth habit of certain lichens, algae, fungi, liverworts, and other bryophytes that prefer to grow on the leaves of vascular plants.

[1][2][3] Foliicolous simply means 'growing upon leaves'[4] whilst epiphyllous derives from the Greek epi-[5] meaning on or over and phyllous means leaf[6] so 'over leaf' and hypophyllous means 'under leaf'.

[7] The microhabitat on the leaf surface is called a phyllosphere.

[2][3]