Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and it is typically used in order to refer to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally (most commonly during autumn) and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe. In a more general sense, deciduous means "the dropping of a part that is no longer needed" or "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 antlers in deer or deciduous teeth, also known as baby teeth, in some mammals (including humans).

Botany

In botany and horticulture, deciduous plants, including trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials, are those that lose all of their leaves for part of the year. This process is called abscission. In some cases leaf loss coincides with winter namely in temperate or polar climates. In other parts of the world, including tropical, subtropical, and arid regions, plants lose their leaves during the dry season or other seasons, depending on variations in rainfall.

Trees in mythology

Trees are significant in many of the world's mythologies and religions, and have been given deep and sacred meanings throughout the ages. Human beings, observing the growth and death of trees, and the annual death and revival of their foliage, have often seen them as powerful symbols of growth, death and rebirth. Evergreen trees, which largely stay green throughout these cycles, are sometimes considered symbols of the eternal, immortality or fertility. The image of the Tree of life or world tree occurs in many mythologies.

Sacred or symbolic trees include the Banyan and the Peepal (Ficus religiosa) trees in Hinduism, the Yule Tree in Germanic mythology, the Tree of Knowledge of Judaism and Christianity, the Bodhi tree in Buddhism and Saglagar tree in Mongolian Tengriism. In folk religion and folklore, trees are often said to be the homes of tree spirits. Germanic paganism as well as Celtic polytheism both appear to have involved cultic practice in sacred groves, especially grove of oak. The term druid itself possibly derives from the Celtic word for oak. The Egyptian Book of the Dead mentions sycamores as part of the scenery where the soul of the deceased finds blissful repose.

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Latest News for: deciduous trees

April gardening guide: When to plant, trim and fertilize in Oregon

The Oregonian 02 Apr 2025
Prune and shape or thin spring-blooming shrubs and trees after blossoms fade.Central/Eastern Oregon ... Prune your deciduous trees and shrubs, using proper techniques.

Blink and you could miss them. 10 native spring ephemerals that bring early color to ...

Wtop 01 Apr 2025
... availability of sunlight under leafless trees ... Either way, select a spot under deciduous trees that receives temporary spring sunlight and has well-draining, acidic soil (exceptions are noted below).

Blink and you could miss them. 10 native spring ephemerals that bring early color to the garden

North Shore News 01 Apr 2025
... availability of sunlight under leafless trees ... Either way, select a spot under deciduous trees that receives temporary spring sunlight and has well-draining, acidic soil (exceptions are noted below).

Wildbuzz | A communion with the cosmos

Hindustan Times 30 Mar 2025
The tree with a Midas touch ... The diversity of trees and other manifestations of flora was bewildering ... They are deciduous trees and display marked morphological variations among individual specimens.

Calendar

The Saratogian 30 Mar 2025
Sunday, March 30, 2025. WOODWORKERS’ SHOWCASE. The Northeastern Woodworkers Assc ... to 5 pm ... Menu ... TREES AND THEIR BARK. Join Wilton Wildlife’s educators for a walk in Congress Park from 10-11am to learn the difference between coniferous and deciduous trees.

Campbell Vaughn: Azaleas, dogwoods, Chinese wisteria are brightening up our landscapes

The Augusta Chronicle 29 Mar 2025
If you want to see something that looks like it is from another planet, look to the deciduous native azaleas ... A great addition to the landscape for a spectacular bloom is a tree of white hydrangea like blooms.

Yellow is a polarising colour with gardeners. Here are 10 subtler daffodils to try

The Irish Times 29 Mar 2025
Ideally suited to growing in a cool, moist but free-draining soil in a sunny or lightly-shaded spot where they can enjoy the seasonal shade of deciduous trees and shrubs as well as herbaceous ...

Spring has arrived. But did your plants survive the last freeze? Here's how to tell

jacksonville.com 29 Mar 2025
Some deciduous trees, like native fringe trees and vitex shrubs or trees, are very slow to sprout in spring, and some northern-grown new deciduous plants may sprout on their old late schedule.

Want to add some color to your spring yard? These 7 flowering trees will do the trick

jacksonville.com 29 Mar 2025
How do I know? The fringe trees are in full bloom. Nothing signals the arrival of spring better than flowering trees ... Japanese magnolias are showy multi-stemmed flowering trees that are deciduous in winter.

The Outside Story: Red and silver, a tale of two maples

Times Argus 29 Mar 2025
In early spring, a reddish haze appears in the woodlands. With most deciduous trees still dormant, the red maples are living up to their name. Their awakening buds lend color to a gray landscape and signal that spring is coming ....

Green Gardening: Give back to nature with native plants, sustainable practices

Palm Beach Daily News 29 Mar 2025
This is deciduous, so should be planted in the back of a bed or beneath a tree where the bare branches are less noticeable in winter ... This will thrive in full sun or part shade, and will climb a trellis, arbor, or tree, providing interest and color.

South Korea wildfires 'largest on record': disaster chief

Atlantic News Telegraph 27 Mar 2025
South Korea has prioritised the preservation of large pine trees -- packed with oily resin -- above allowing a variety of deciduous trees to thrive, he said.

South Korea wildfires largest on record

Taipei Times 27 Mar 2025
South Korea has prioritized the preservation of large pine trees — packed with oily resin — above allowing a variety of deciduous trees to thrive, he said.

South Korea wildfires ‘largest on record’: disaster chief

Dawn 27 Mar 2025
South Korea has prioritised the preservation of large pine trees — packed with oily resin — above allowing a variety of deciduous trees to thrive, he said.

1,752 heritage trees identified in Panvel to be conserved by PMC

Hindustan Times 27 Mar 2025
Recognized as one of eighteen 'Natural Heritage' trees in the city and at over a hundred years old, the deciduous Imli tree in the at Hauz Khas village monuments compound is a fine attraction in itself.
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