High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A xerophyte or xerophytic organism (from Greek xero dry, phuton plant) is a plant which has adapted to survive in an environment that lacks water, such as a desert. Xerophytic plants may have adapted shapes and forms (morphology) or internal functions (physiology) that reduce their water loss or store water during long periods of dryness. Plants with such morphological adaptations are called xeromorphic.