These species are accidentally epiphytic and in most cases are seedlings of trees or shrubs that establish as epiphytes but die before reaching maturity.
The following 20 vascular plant species have been recorded as ephemeral epiphytes:
- Ackama nubicola
- Brachyglottis repanda
- Coprosma foetidissima
- Coprosma grandifolia
- Coprosma robusta
- Coprosma tenuifolia
- Dacrydium cupressinum
- Geniostoma ligustrifolium var. ligustrifolium
- Hebe barkeri
- Kunzea ericoides var. ericoides
- Leptospermum scoparium var. scoparium
- Macropiper excelsum subsp. excelsum
- Melicytus ramiflorus
- Myrsine australis
- Olearia rani var. rani
- Phyllocladus alpinus
- Podocarpus cunninghamii
- Prumnopitys ferruginea
- Pseudopanax colensoi var. ternatus
- Pseudopanax crassifolium
- Raukaua simplex