Plants maintain a complex system where bacterial
communities interact continuously supporting the development
of large microbial population. Epiphytic bacteria
are capable of living (i.e., multiplying) on plant surfaces [1]
and their colonization is controlled by biological factors
such as the host plant growth and the life cycle of epiphytes
[2,3]. Epiphytes occupy a narrow ecological niche
because oftheir existence atthe interface of vegetation and
atmosphere, a variation in climatic conditions including moisture, humidity, temperature, wind speed, radiation
andrainfallmay influence epiphytediversity [33]. Exploitation
of ethnomedicinal plants for their natural products has
resulted in loss of epiphytic diversity harboured on novel
ethnomedicinal plants. The purpose of this investigation is
to determine the sites and extent of growth of epiphytic
microflora on selected ethnomedicinal plants on the leaf
and root surfaces and to characterize the diversity of culturable
epiphytic bacteria associated with these plants using
microscopic (SEM) and molecular techniques.
Epiphytic bacterial aggregates on plant surfaces may
vary in size and composition depending on nutrient
availability at a given site [4,5]. These aggregates have
characteristics similar to those cells in biofilms that are
described in aquatic and medical environments [6]. Biofilm
consists of multilayered cell clusters embedded in a complex matrix comprising of a variety of extracellular
polymeric substances (EPS) [7] which facilitates the adherence
of epiphytes to other microbial cells and to plant
surfaces. Plants incorporate epiphytes in the strategy to
survive under stressed conditions [8] and thus, it is more
likely thatthe phytoepiphytes play an eminent role in plant
defence and other environmental stresses. The knowledge
of plant associated bacteria is importantfor the study ofthe
effect of p