endophyte

American  

[en-duh-fahyt] / ˈɛn dəˌfaɪt /

noun

Botany.

1. a plant living within another plant, usually as a parasite.

---

endophyte British  

/ ˈɛndəʊˌfaɪt, ˌɛndəʊˈfɪtɪk /

noun

1. a fungus, or occasionally an alga or other organism, that lives within a plant

---

Other Word Forms

• endophytic adjective
• endophytically adverb
• endophytous adjective

Etymology

Origin of endophyte

First recorded in 1825–35; endo- + -phyte

Example Sentences

The study 'A nucleoside signal generated by fungal endophyte regulates host cell death and promotes root colonization' was published in Cell Host & Microbe.

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2024

A LuxR homolog in a cottonwood tree endophyte that activates gene expression in response to a plant signal or specific peptides.

From Nature • Nov. 14, 2017

Slowly, the benefits of the endophyte and rhizoid interactions for both partners led to present-day mycorrhizae; up to about 90 percent of today’s vascular plants have associations with fungi in their rhizosphere.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The endophyte found in the older Kentucky 31 fescue can cause serious damage to mares and foals.

From Time Magazine Archive

When researchers discovered that a fungus, or endophyte, in Kentucky 31 fescue was responsible for a host of ailments in cattle, sheep, goats and horses, they got busy.

From Time Magazine Archive