Xerophyte:
any plant adapted to life in a dry or physiologically dry habitat (salt marsh, saline soil, or acid bog) by means of mechanisms to prevent water loss or to store available water. Succulents (plants that store water) such as cacti and agaves have thick, fleshy stems or leaves. Other xerophytic adaptations include waxy leaf coatings, the ability to drop leaves during dry periods, the ability to...
Desert Vegetation:
In the maritime areas of the Asiatic Mediterranean—Anatolia and the Levant—xerophytic vegetation (vegetation structurally adapted to exist with very little water) of the Mediterranean scrub-woodland types, known as maquis (evergreen), shiblyak (deciduous), and frigana (low-growing thorny, cushionlike bushes), is prevalent. The predominant soils under such vegetation are brown; they...
Leaf Anatomy:
Leaf Anatomy (in angiosperm: Leaves)
...anatomy of a mature dicot leaf generally reflects the habitat, especially the availability of water. Mesomorphic leaves are adapted to conditions of abundant water and relatively humid conditions; xeromorphic leaves are adapted to dry conditions with relatively low humidity; and hydromorphic leaves are adapted to aquatic situations, either submerged or in standing water. Mesomorphic leaves...Leaf Anatomy (in tree: Adaptations)
Under xeromorphic conditions, the leaf has adopted features that decrease water loss. Leaf area that is exposed to the ambient air is reduced, although the ratio of internal surface to external surface area is high. The cells themselves are small, and the thickness of the wall is increased, as is the amount of fibrous tissue in the leaf, making the surface of the leaf rather hard. There are a...
West Asian Vegetation:
A few examples of the variety of vegetation associated with these climatic zones may be cited. In the Karakum Desert grows a strange xerophytic tree, the saxaul, which is oddly shaped, gnarled, and leafless; it is widely used for firewood, and its young sprouts make excellent fodder for camels. Between the galleries of saxauls the desert is interspersed at wide intervals with bushes and tufts...
