Deciduous plants

Plants that regularly lose their leaves at the end of each growing season. Dropping of the leaves occurs at the inception of an unfavorable season characterized by either cold or drought or both. Most woody plants of temperate climates have the deciduous habit, and it may also occur in those of tropical regions having alternating wet and dry seasons. Many deciduous trees and shrubs of regions with cold winters become evergreen when grown in a warm climate. Conversely, such trees as magnolias, evergreen in warm areas, become deciduous when grown in colder climates. See also Leaf; Plant physiology; Plant taxonomy.