Plant from a dry climate capable of conserving water for longer that other plants, due to structural adaptations like dense pubescence, thick epidermis and resin cover which delay transpiration. Certain mangrove plants are also xerophytes, because water absorption is hindered by excess of salt.
Sepal: External part of the flower, generally green, that protects the core of the flower and the more delicate petals. Some flowers, like the almond, are really composed of sepals and not petals; each part of the calyx. (Also see Calyx, Petal.)