Xero-
Greek prefix
Phyte- Greek
word for grow or
grown, with a
plant connotation
Refers usually to any
type of
plant that has
waxy,
thick leaf
epidermis, and
recessed,
hairy stoma on the bottoms of its leaves. These are both
mechanisms for
water retention.
These
characteristics are
typical of xerophytes, but are not a
definition. The
term is used to
refer to
any plant that is
adapted for life in an
arid,
arctic or
desert climate.