noun
- Plants that thrive in environments with moderate moisture and do not require extremely wet or dry conditions.
Usage: plural of mesophyte; botanical/ecological term; commonly used in plant science and ecology
Examples
- Most garden vegetables are mesophytes that prefer well-drained soil with regular watering.
- Mesophytes make up the majority of plant species in temperate forests.
- Unlike cacti, mesophytes cannot survive prolonged drought conditions.
- The botanist classified the newly discovered species as a mesophyte based on its moisture requirements.
- Mesophytes typically have thin leaves and moderate root systems adapted to moderate water availability.