phyte

Phyte is a term used in botanical vocabulary derived from the Greek word phyton, meaning plant. The element -phyte functions as a suffix to form names of plant types or life forms and is used to denote a plant or plant-like organism in various terms. In English, -phyte often indicates a member of a plant group or a plant’s ecological habit, rather than constituting a formal taxonomic rank by itself.

Common examples include bryophyte (non-vascular land plants such as mosses, liverworts, and hornworts), pteridophyte (ferns and their relatives), and tracheophyte (vascular plants including seed plants). Other life-form terms describe a plant’s ecology or growth form, such as geophyte (plants with underground perennating organs), epiphyte (plants that grow on other plants but are not parasitic), xerophyte (drought-tolerant plants), halophyte (salt-tolerant plants), hydrophyte (aquatic plants), mesophyte (moderately moist environments), therophyte (annuals completing their life cycle quickly), and phanerophyte orphanerophyte (perennial plants with above-ground perennating buds).

In taxonomy, divisions are typically named with -phyta (for example Bryophyta and Pteridophyta), while -phyte is used for individual members or life-form concepts within or across these groups. The term phyte by itself is uncommon outside these compound terms and does not denote a standalone taxonomic category.

See also: phytology, phytogeography, phytogeography.