Epiphytic bacteria physically interact with plants
through surface colonization, in which they adhere to
external plant surfaces as individual cells, in clusters or
biofilm. In the present study, culturable and molecular
technique has characterized 15 different epiphytic bacterial
isolates from selected ethnomedicinal plants out of
which Bacillus spp. was recovered as the most dominant
epiphyte. Remarkable differences in bacterial colonization
and sites of growth of the epiphytic microflora on
ethnomedicinal plants were revealed using SEM. Biofilm
formation on plant surfaces were observed as a mode of
adaptation of epiphytes to environmental stresses. The
present study of plant-associated epiphytes is important
not only for understanding the ecological role of such
bacteria in their interaction with plants but also for the
biotechnological application of these bacteria to areas such
as the plant growth promotion. Future efforts could be
considered on how environmental stress affects epiphyte
diversity on plant surfaces. Micrographical imaging may
provide evidence on changes in colonization pattern, if any,
resulted by the environmental changes.