Throughout the years, we’ve failed with many plants, some, simply by not realizing that some plants have very specific habitat preferences. The vast majority of plants can grow equally as well in the same, well-amended soil, with a pH around 6.0-6.2. The Latin root is used to describe those with a more specific preference or “phyte”, pronounced fight. Phytes are either obligate (requiring), or facultative (preferring, but optional). Here are some of the more common phytes and plant(s) that represents each. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single list of plants that fit in each “phyte” category, but we hope this will help.
*Calciphyte (lime loving plants) *Chasmophyte (crevice growing plants) *Epilithic Lithophyte (grow on rocks)
*Epiphyte (grows on another plant) *Halophyte (salty soil plants) *Hemicryptophyte (perennials whose buds are located at ground level during dormancy) *Hydrophyte (aquatic plants) *Hygrophyte (water adapted plants) *Macrophyte (grows in or around water) *Psammophyte (grows in sandy, unstable soils) *Thermophyte (heat loving plants) *Xerophyte (dry loving plants)
Wow! Thanks for the primer, Tony. That explains why my Panicum were unharmed when the tidal surge breached the seawall last year! They were probably delighted with the salt bath.
Loved all th photos, but the information would be more helpful in a listing, rather than having to scroll through thr entire article. Thanks, anyway.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Wow, what great information. It should be included in every plant description. Many times I don’t know why a plant dies.
Great article on Phytes! Loved it.