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A halophyte is a plant that naturally grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass ''Spartina alterniflora'' (smooth cordgrass). Relatively few plant species are halophytes - perhaps only 2% of all plant species. The large majority of plant species are ''glycophytes'', and are damaged fairly easily by salinity.

One quantitative measure of salt tolerance is the ''total dissolved solids'' in irrigation water that a plant can tolerate. Sea water typically contains 40 grams per liter (g/l) of dissolved salts (mostly sodium chloride). Beans and rice can tolerate about 1-3 g/l, and are considered glycophytes (as are most crop plants). At the other extreme, ''Salicornia bigalovii'' (dwarf glasswort) grows well at 70 g/l of dissolved solids, and is a promising halophyte for use as a crop.

Plants such as barley (''Hordeum vulgare'') and the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') can tolerate about 5 g/l, and can be considered as marginal halophytes. or bioalcohol.