adjective
- of or relating to plants that obtain water from deep underground sources, especially the water table or groundwater, rather than from surface precipitation
Usage: technical; botany; ecology
Examples
- Phreatophytic plants like mesquite trees can survive in deserts by tapping into deep aquifers.
- The phreatophytic vegetation along the river valley depends on groundwater rather than rainfall.
- Desert shrubs with phreatophytic root systems can reach water sources hundreds of feet below the surface.
- Phreatophytic species are well-adapted to arid regions where surface water is scarce.