Deciduus
/deh-SID-yoo-us/🏷️ Taxonomy● Basic
Also known as: decidua, deciduum
An epithet meaning the plant sheds its leaves at the end of the growing season, becoming bare in winter. It is often used to distinguish a deciduous species within a genus that also contains evergreen members. Appears as deciduus (masculine), decidua (feminine), or deciduum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin deciduus, meaning "falling off" or "that falls," from decidere (to fall down), from de- (down) + cadere (to fall).
Example
“Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) is one of the few deciduous conifers; its epithet, distichum, distinguishes it from Taxodium mucronatum, which can be nearly evergreen in mild climates.”