In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous means “falling off at maturity” and “tending to fall off”, in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flowering; and to the shedding of ripe fruit.

Generally, the term deciduous means “the dropping of a part that is no longer needed or useful to the plant” and the “falling away [just a part] after its purpose is finished”. In plants, it is the result of natural processes.