A xerophyte is a plant that survives or thrives in areas with very little free moisture.
Examples of the types of xerophytic plants are:
Cacti from the Cactaceae family - typically these have stems that are round and store a lot of water. Often their leaves are vestigial, or they do not have leaves.
Succulent plants (other than cactii) - they typically store moisture in their stems or leaves.
Bulbs - water is stored in their bulbs, at or below ground. They may spend a period of dormancy during drought conditions underground .
Xerophytes occur in all kind of environments. Cacti and other succulents are typically found in deserts while bromeliads can be found in rain forests. Plants that live under arctic conditions may also have a need for xerophytic adaptations as water is not available for plant uptake when it is frozen.
xerophyte Any plant that evolved to survive in dry conditions, in areas subject to drought, or in physiologically dry areas (such as salt marshes and acid bogs) where saline or acid conditions make the uptake of water difficult.
The Press; 4/6/2002; 35 words ; Xerophytes for the New World is the subject of Jim Dunn's talk for the Friends of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens on Monday at 2pm in the Petanque Club Rooms, near the gardens' Armagh Street car-park entrance.
Xerophytes are desertplants that must carry out...
A xerophyte describes a plant that has structural (xeromorphic) and physiological adaptations which enable them to survive, or even thrive, in areas with very little free moisture.
Xerophytes occur in all kind of environments, not simply those which immediately appear free of water such as deserts.
Many countries have xerophytes, including those which are wet such as the United Kingdom in sand dunes and sea shore strand lines.
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