phanerophyte One of Raunkiaer's life-form categories, being a plant whose perennating buds or shoot apices are borne on aerial shoots. Such plants are the least protected of those in Raunkiaer's scheme and therefore are most typical of environments where drought, cold, and exposure to strong winds are relatively infrequent. Several sub-categories are recognized, the most universal being:
a. evergreen phanerophytes without bud scales (tropical trees) or with bud scales; and

b. deciduous phanerophytes. These groups may be subdivided further according to height, as nano- (less than 2m), micro- (2–8 m), meso- (8–30 m), and mega- (more than 30m) phanerophytes. Other subgroups are epiphytic, stem succulent, and herbaceous phanerophytes, the last being confined to humid tropical environments. Compare CHAMAEOPHYTE, CRYPTOPHYTE, HEMICRYPTOPHYTE, and THEROPHYTE.

phanerophyte One of Raunkiaer's life-form categories, being a plant whose perennating buds or shoot apices are borne on aerial shoots. Such plants are the least protected of those in Raunkiaer's scheme and therefore are most typical of environments where drought, cold, and exposure to strong winds are relatively infrequent. Several subcategories are recognized, the most universal being: (a)evergreen phanerophytes without bud scales (tropical trees) or with bud scales; and(b)deciduous phanerophytes. These groups may be subdivided further according to height as nano- (less than 2 m), micro- (2–8 m), meso- (8–30 m), and mega- (more than 30 m) phanerophytes. Other subgroups are epiphytic, stem succulent, and herbaceous phanerophytes, the last being confined to tropical environments. Compare chamaeophyte; cryptophyte; hemicryptophyte; and therophyte.

phanerophyte A plant life form in Raunkiaer's system of classification (see physiognomy). Phanerophytes are large shrubs and trees in which the overwintering (perennating) buds are located high above the ground. The buds are thus at risk of exposure to drought stress or frost, and such plants occur mainly in regions where frost and drought are uncommon, such as the tropics.