Editing Deciduous (section)

{{Short description|Plants that shed leaves seasonally}}
{{Other uses|Deciduous (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| header            = Deciduous forest
| image1            = Flickr - Nicholas T - Open Woods.jpg
| image2            = Flickr - Nicholas T - Lofty.jpg
| image3            = Autumnal deciduous forest - Laubwand im Herbst.jpg
| image4            = Langaa egeskov rimfrost.jpg
| footer            = Four deciduous forests shown in spring, summer, autumn and winter.
}}

In the fields of [[horticulture]] and [[botany]], the term '''deciduous''' ({{IPAc-en|d|ɪ|ˈ|s|ɪ|dʒ|u|.|ə|s}})<ref>{{cite Dictionary.com|deciduous}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/deciduous |title=deciduous (adjective) |encyclopedia=[[Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary]] |via=OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com}}</ref> means "falling off at maturity"<ref>{{cite book |title=The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia |first=William Dwight |last=Whitney |page=1484}}</ref> and "tending to fall off",<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pqgtn89ad-wC&pg=PT9 |title=Ecosystems |first=Debra J. |last=Housel |publisher=[[Capstone Publishers]] |isbn=9780756540685 |year=2009}}</ref> in reference to [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s that seasonally shed [[Leaf|leaves]], usually in the [[autumn]]; to the shedding of [[petal]]s, after flowering; and to the shedding of ripe [[fruit]]. The [[antonym]] of deciduous in the botanical sense is [[evergreen]].

Generally, the term "deciduous" means "the dropping of a part that is no longer needed or useful" and the "falling away after its purpose is finished". In plants, it is the result of natural processes. "Deciduous" has a similar meaning when referring to animal parts, such as deciduous [[antler]]s in [[deer]],<ref>{{cite book |last= Gause |first= John Taylor |year=1955 |title= The Complete Word Hunter |series=A Crowell reference book |location= New York |publisher= Crowell |page= 465}}</ref> [[deciduous teeth]] (baby teeth) in some mammals (including humans); or [[decidua]], the uterine lining that sheds off after birth.