heterophyte
[ het-er-uh-fahyt ]
nounBotany.
a plant that secures its nutrition directly or indirectly from other organisms; a parasite or saprophyte.
Origin of heterophyte
1Other words from heterophyte
- het·er·o·phyt·ic [het-er-uh-fit-ik], /ˌhɛt ər əˈfɪt ɪk/, adjective
- Compare autophyte.
Words Nearby heterophyte
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Scientific definitions for heterophyte
heterophyte
[ hĕt′ər-ə-fīt′ ]
A plant that obtains its nourishment from other living or dead organisms. For example, Indian pipe is a pale white plant without chlorophyll that obtains its nutrition from fungal symbionts. See also heterotroph.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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