xerophyte

xer·o·phyte  (zîr-ft)

n.

A plant adapted to living in a dry arid habitat; a desert plant.

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xero·phytic (-ftk) adj.

xero·phyti·cal·ly adv.

xero·phytism (-ftz-m, -f-tz-) n.

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xerophyte  (zîr-ft)

A plant that is adapted to an arid environment. Many xerophytes have specialized tissues (usually nonphotosynthetic parenchyma cells) for storing water, as in the stems of cacti and the leaves of succulents. Others have thin, narrow leaves, or even spines, for minimizing water loss. Xerophyte leaves often have abundant stomata to maximize gas exchange during periods in which water is available, and the stomata are recessed in depressions, which are covered with fine hairs to help trap moisture in the air. Compare hydrophytemesophyte

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

xerophyte - plant adapted for life with a limited supply of water; compare hydrophyte and mesophyte desert plant, xerophile, xerophilous plant, xerophytic plant agave, American aloe, century plant - tropical American plants with basal rosettes of fibrous sword-shaped leaves and flowers in tall spikes; some cultivated for ornament or for fiber tracheophyte, vascular plant - green plant having a vascular system: ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms