A rheophyte is a plant that lives in fast moving water currents in an environment where few other

organism An organism is any life, living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Many criteria, few of them widely accepted, have be ...

s can survive. Rheophytes tend to be found in currents that move at rates of one to two meters per second and that are up to 1 to 2 m deep. The amount of force produced by these currents, and the damaging debris they can carry, makes this environment inhospitable to most plants. Rheophytes are able to live in such environments because their leaves are streamlined so as put up little resistance to the flow of water. The leaves tend to be quite narrow and flexible as well. Simply being an

aquatic plant Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and Non-vascular plant, non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic ecosystem, aquatic environments (marine ecosystem, saltwater or freshwater ecosystem, freshwater ...

with narrow leaves is not a sufficient condition for being a rheophyte. In order to prevent being uprooted by the rushing currents, rheophytes have an extremely strong wide spreading root system. Rheophytes comprise two main groups - obligate rheophytes (or 'true' rheophytes) and facultative rheophytes. Apart from being adapted for fast currents, the survival of obligate rheophytes are dependent on the oxygenated water brought along with fast currents for survival. Facultative rheophytes are just as adapted to survive in areas where fast currents run through, but are not dependent on these fast currents to survival. When low water levels occur, obligate rheophytes often quickly begin to flower to take advantage of these occurrences. Examples of rheophytic plants are '' Asplenium obtusifolium'', ''

Osmunda lancea ''Osmunda'' is a genus of primarily temperate-zone ferns of family Osmundaceae. Five to ten species have been listed for this genus. They have existed since the Early Cretaceous. Description Completely dimorphic fronds or pinnae (hemidimorphic ...

'', and ''

Tectaria lobbii ''Tectaria'' is a genus of fern in the family Tectariaceae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Halberd fern is a common name for species in this genus. Species , the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophyte ...

'' (ferns) and '' Gosong brevipedunculata'' (an aroid). ''

Aiphanes argos ''Aiphanes argos'' is a plant in the family Arecaceae, native to Colombia. Description ''Aiphanes argos'' grows as a small palm and is a rheophyte (a plant living in swift waters). The pinnae are very long and thin, an adaptation to its enviro ...

'' is a rheophytic palm.

References

* Bown, Deni (2000). ''Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family''. Timber Press. {{ISBN, 0-88192-485-7. Aquatic plants