chamaephytes

Chamaephytes are a life-form in the Raunkiaer plant classification. They have perennating buds located close to the ground on short shoots, typically within 25 cm of the soil surface. This growth habit yields low, compact plants that endure harsh conditions by staying near sheltered ground.

Many chamaephytes form cushions, mats, or prostrate rosettes. Their buds are protected by snow, leaf litter, or the insulative tissue of the plant during winter. They reproduce by seeds and, in some cases, by vegetative spread.

Chamaephytes are common in alpine and Arctic ecosystems, where short growing seasons and cold winters favor ground-hugging forms. They can also occur in dry, windy, or nutrient-poor environments in temperate regions, where their low stature minimizes water loss and wind damage.

Representative examples include Silene acaulis (moss campion), Saxifraga oppositifolia (purple saxifrage), Dryas octopetala, Cerastium species, and Androsace species.

Raunkiaer’s system places chamaephytes between hemicryptophytes and geophytes and phanerophytes, reflecting the location of perennating buds. The defining threshold is proximity to the ground: buds are on the plant near the soil surface, rather than high above ground or deep underground.

The term derives from Greek chamae (ground) and phyton (plant) and was proposed by Christen Raunkiaer in the early 20th century as part of the life-form classification.