1. a land plant whose buds and shoot apices survive the unfavorable season and project on above-ground stems that persist from year to year and often for many years —note the phanerophyte is one of the major (noncryptophytic) life-forms of Raunkiaer 2. of subdivisions by size, a phanerophyte 2 m (6.6 ft) high is termed a nanophanerophyte and one > 30 m (98.4 ft) a megaphanerophyte —see cryptophyte, life-formThis definition last updated 07/23/2008