adjective

• (of a plant or animal) adapted to a very dry climate or habitat, or to conditions where moisture is scarce.

  ‘The concentration of the highest estimates of genetic variation in northwestern Venezuela suggests a potential reservoir of plant genetic diversity within xerophilous ecosystems in northern South America.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Mexico's xerophilous thickets and semi-desert pastures are located in arid and semi-arid areas that account for half of our national territory.’
  • ‘While some xerophilous grasshoppers became scarce within the shelterbelt system, others, e.g. Calliptamus italicus, increased in importance.’
  • ‘Everywhere one feels the influence of the Mediterranean and particularly on the specific xerophilous flora and fauna of the region.’
  • ‘Sand dunes and higher river terraces were still preserved at that time and supported xerophilous vegetation.’