Caudiciform

Caudiciform plants are plants that have a caudex, which is a swollen, thickened stem, trunk, or aboveground root. The term comes from the Latin word caudex, which means “tree trunk”. Caudiciform plants are a growth adaptation that helps them survive in specific environments, such as deserts, where they receive a lot of water over a short period of time but need to store it to survive droughts