hygrophyte's Usage Examples:

Plants which are hygrophytes during some favorl part of the year and xerophytes during the rest of the year; ~.

Schimper used the term xerophytes to include plants which live in soils which are physiologically dry, and the term hygrophytes those which live in soils which are physiologically wet or damp.

The effect can also be demonstrated experimentally: thus it has been observed that a xerophyte grown in moist air will lose its characteristic adaptive features, and may even assume those of a hygrophyte.

Whilst Schimper objected to the constitution of a special category, such as mesophytes, to include all plants which are neither pronounced xerophytes nor pronounced hygrophytes, he recognized the necessity of a third class in which to place those Schuuw, Grundtraek til en almindelig Plantegeografie (Kjbbenhavn, 1822); German trans.

Thus all existing hygrophytes (excepting the Algae) are considered to have been derived from land-plants which have adapted themselves to a watery habitat.

An interesting special case of hygrophytes is seen with regard to plants which live in the shade of forests.

Synonyms:

plant, flora, plant life,

Antonyms:

fauna,