endophyte means any organism (generally a bacterium, fungus or alga) that lives inside a plant.
Etymology
From endo- (“inside”) + -phyte (“plant, growth”). The -phyte suffix refers to the microorganism, not the plant within which it grows.
noun
- Any organism (generally a bacterium, fungus or alga) that lives inside a plant.“Take a grass from salty coastal soils, grow it without its fungal endophytes, and it won't be able to survive in its natural salty habitat.”