A living plant or organism that is capable of independent life.
From 'bio-' (Greek bios, life) + 'phyte' (Greek phyton, plant/organism). The term was formed to describe self-sustaining living things, though it's rarely used in modern science which prefers more specific terms.
The term 'biophyte' is almost obsolete, but it reminds us that scientists once had to clearly define what counted as 'alive'—a surprisingly tricky question that still stumps us with viruses and prions.
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