the.com/xerophyte
A plant that treats drought like a lifestyle choice, not a crisis.
means A plant adapted to survive in environments with very little water, like deserts or arid cliffs.
from Built from Greek parts: 'xeros' meaning dry, and 'phyton' meaning plant — the same 'phyton' that gives us 'neophyte' (new plant/new convert) and 'zoophyte.' Botanists coined this kind of term in the 19th century to classify plants by their water strategy, filing cacti and succulents under the dry-living club.
- leaf strategy
- shrinks or sheds leaves to cut water loss
- root game
- grows roots absurdly deep or wide to hoard moisture
- famous example
- cacti store water in thick, fleshy stems
- waxy trick
- thick cuticle seals moisture in like shrink wrap