Desiccation
/des-ih-KAY-shun/🧑🌾 Cultivation●● Intermediate
Also known as: drying out, winter burn, winter desiccation
The extreme loss of moisture from plant tissues, leading to wilting, browning, and potentially death. Winter desiccation occurs when evergreen leaves lose water to cold, dry winds while frozen roots cannot replace it — a common cause of browning in rhododendrons, boxwood, and arborvitae. Desiccation also affects stored bulbs, bare-root plants in transit, and cuttings before they are stuck. Anti-desiccant sprays provide temporary protection.
Etymology
Latin desiccare (to dry completely), from de (completely) + siccare (to dry)
Example
“The browning on the windward side of this boxwood hedge is winter desiccation damage from cold, drying winds.”