1. thriving in or preferring moist or wet environments
Usage: chiefly botanical and ecological

Examples

• Ferns are hygrophilous plants that grow best in shaded, damp forests.
• The hygrophilous vegetation along the riverbank includes mosses and sedges.
• Tropical rainforests support many hygrophilous species adapted to constant moisture.
• Hygrophilous fungi thrive in the humid conditions of a swamp.
• The wetland ecosystem is dominated by hygrophilous plants such as cattails and water lilies.