What does the word "deciduous" mean?
Q: What does the word "deciduous" mean?
A: Deciduous means "temporary" or "tending to fall off", deriving from the Latin word decidere, meaning to fall off.
Q: When referring to plants, what does it mean for them to be deciduous?
A: When referring to plants, being deciduous means that they lose their leaves in autumn and then grow them back again in spring.
Q: What is abscission?
A: Abscission is the process of a plant losing its leaves for part of the year. This usually happens in winter in temperate or polar climates.
Q: How do evergreens differ from deciduous trees?
A: Evergreens differ from deciduous trees because they keep their foliage all year round whereas deciduous trees shed their leaves during certain times of the year.
Q: What are semi-decidious plants?
A: Semi-decidious plants are those that lose old foliage as new growth begins, but not all their leaves at once like fully decidious plants do.
Q: Why do some plants flower when leafless?
A: Some plants flower when leafless because this increases the effectiveness of pollination by making it easier for wind and insects to reach the flowers.
