A hygrophyte (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

''hygros'' = wet + ''phyton'' = plant) is a plant that inhabits moist areas and is intolerant of dry conditions. The species may inhabit wet and dark forests and islands, dense swamps, and wet

meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable condition ...

. Within the group of all types of terrestrial plants, they are least resistant to drought. Plants that are

hydrophyte Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic environments ( saltwater or freshwater). In lakes, rivers and wetlands, aquatic vegetations provide cover for aquat ...

s (aquatic plants) live within aquatic environments including lakes, streams, ponds, and oceans. While plants that are hygrophytes grow on wet soils, both types of plants are adapted to growing in soils that are low-oxygen (anaerobic) environments where there is extended periods of water saturation or flooding. The roots receive oxygen by alternative means than typical terrestrial plants which take up oxygen from the soil. They may absorb the oxygen they need by having hypertrophied lenticels such as the bark of speckled alder; the hollow stems of rush and grass species; and the air-filled cells (aerenchyma) in the roots of cattails, or modified roots. Hygrohalophytes are plants that are simultaneously adapted to high soil moisture and high salt concentrations, and include the plants of saltmarshes and mangrove swamps.

Examples of genera containing hygrophytes

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Adoxa ''Adoxa'' is the type genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. It contains at least 2 species of flowering plant, including the moschatel, for which the family is named. *'' Adoxa moschatellina'' L. *'' Adoxa xizangensis'' G.Yao Refer ...

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Agrostis ''Agrostis'' (bent or bentgrass) is a large and very nearly Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family, found in nearly all the countries in the world. It has been bred as a Genetically modified organis ...

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Bidens ''Bidens'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae.''Bidens''.
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'' *'' Caltha'' *''

Cardamine ''Cardamine'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mustard family, Brassicaceae, known as bittercresses and toothworts. It contains more than 200 species of annuals and perennials. Species in this genus can be found in diverse habitats w ...

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Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of over 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family (biology), family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of ge ...

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Catabrosa ''Catabrosa'' is a small but widespread genus of plants in the grass family native to temperate areas of Eurasia, the Americas, and a few places in Africa. ''Catabrosa aquatica'' is in flower in Europe from June to August, and the seeds ripen f ...

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Chelidonium ''Chelidonium'', commonly known as celandines, is a small genus of flowering plants in the Papaveraceae, poppy family, This genus is native to northern Africa and Eurasia, where they are widespread, ranging from western Europe to east Asia.

'' *''Circea'' *''

Cyperus ''Cyperus'' is a large genus of about 700 species of sedges, distributed throughout all continents in both tropical and temperate regions. Description They are annual or perennial plants, mostly aquatic and growing in still or slow-moving ...

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Drosera ''Drosera'', which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genus, genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 2 volumes. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucil ...

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Equisetum ''Equisetum'' (; horsetail) is the only living genus in Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds. ''Equisetum'' is a "living fossil", the only living genus of the entire subclass Equisetidae, which ...

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Galium ''Galium'' is a large genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Rubiaceae, occurring in the temperate zones of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Some species are informally known as bedstraw. Over 600 species of ' ...

'' *'' Glyceria'' *''

Hymenophyllum ''Hymenophyllum'' is a genus of ferns in the family Hymenophyllaceae. Its name means "membranous leaf", referring to the very thin translucent tissue of the fronds, which gives rise to the common name filmy fern for this and other thin-leaved fer ...

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Juncus ''Juncus'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants, commonly known as rushes. It is the largest genus in the family Juncaceae, containing around 300 species. Description Rushes of the genus ''Juncus'' are herbaceous plants that superfici ...

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Lythrum ''Lythrum'' is a genus of 38 species of flowering plants native to the temperate world. Commonly known as loosestrife (a name they share with ''Lysimachia'', which are not closely related), they are among 32 genera of the family Lythraceae. Desc ...

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Oxalis ''Oxalis'' ( (British English) or (American English)) is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family, Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the polar areas; species ...

References

Plant ecology {{Plant-stub

Examples of genera containing hygrophytes

See also

References