endophyte

[ en-duh-fahyt ]

noun

, Botany.

1. a plant living within another plant, usually as a parasite.

endophyte

/ ˈɛndəʊˌfaɪt; ˌɛndəʊˈfɪtɪk /

noun

1. a fungus, or occasionally an alga or other organism, that lives within a plant

Derived Forms

• ˌendoˈphytically, adverb
• endophytic, adjective

Other Words From

• en·do·phyt·ic [en-d, uh, -, fit, -ik], adjective
• endo·phyti·cal·ly adverb
• en·doph·y·tous [en-, dof, -i-t, uh, s], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of endophyte¹

First recorded in 1825–35; endo- + -phyte

Example Sentences

Arnold thinks that the special climate dependence of these fungal endophytes reflects a process of co-evolution with their hosts -- or "research and development," as she put it -- as plants find the ideal endophyte partner and flourish despite the distinctive stresses that plants face in these harsh northern landscapes.

From Science Daily

"There's not a lot of information about exactly what an individual endophyte does for an individual plant. So, our study is foundational in the sense that we tried to figure out who these endophytes are, and how they're distributed, and how they might change with a shifting climate."

From Science Daily

Some of the tour topics include watering systems for controlled grazing, novel endophyte tall fescue and building soil fertility with poultry litter.

From Washington Times

Root-dwelling mycorrhizal fungi are one subclass of endophyte that has received far more publicity, both here at this blog and elsewhere, than the rest.

From Scientific American

They planted some of their slurry-treated plants in the wild in their ancestral home and near the plants that were their endophyte donors.

From Scientific American