endophyte

English

Etymology

From endo- (“inside”) +‎ -phyte (“plant, growth”). The -phyte suffix refers to the microorganism, not the plant within which it grows.

Noun

endophyte (plural endophytes)

1. Any organism (generally a bacterium, fungus or alga) that lives inside a plant.
   • 2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 157:

     Take a grass from salty coastal soils, grow it without its fungal endophytes, and it won't be able to survive in its natural salty habitat.

Synonyms

• entophyte

Related terms

• endophytic

Translations

Translations

• Dutch: endofyt (nl) m
• French: endophyte (fr) m
• Russian: эндофи́т (ru) m (endofít)

See also

• endosymbiont