A phreatophyte (pronounced free-at-toh-fite) is a unique desert adaptation.
A phreatophyte is a long-rooted plant which has adapted to desert or arid environments by developing a long, deep root system which absorbs water from the water table of other permanent ground supply.
It comes from the Greek phreatos, meaning a well, and phytos, a plant which grows in a specific way or in a specific place.
Other “English” words derived from phreatos are phreatophytic (adjective, e.g a phreatophytic plant) and phreatic (adjective: of or having to do with groundwater).
Phreatophytic plants include the desert willow (Chilopsis linearies); honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa); Screwbean Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens); velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina); creosote bush (Larrea tridentate), and tall sagebrush (Artemesia tridentate). These plants are not the only phreatophytes in the world, but they tend to be the most common in southwestern North America.
Some phreatophytic plants, such as the mesquite, can have roots as deep as 80 feet. The creosote bush is not only phreatophytic, but also sends out an extensive shallow root system radiating from the plant in order to catch sparse rainwater as well. The creosote bush also has tiny leaves that close their stomata during the day to avoid water loss. They open the stomata at night to absorb moisture.
