Literary notes about deciduous (AI summary)
The term "deciduous" is employed in literature with both technical precision and broader metaphorical nuance. In botanical descriptions, the word is used to denote parts of a plant that naturally shed after serving their function—examples include the calyx pieces [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], stipules [6], and other floral elements [7, 8] that are described as falling away. In these instances, "deciduous" highlights a transient, yet essential, aspect of plant morphology. By contrast, in more expansive natural histories and ecological observations, such as those detailing nut trees or forest compositions [9, 10, 11, 12], the term underscores the cyclical shedding of leaves as a defining trait of certain tree species. Even in classical texts like the King James Bible [13], "deciduous" is used to classify and contrast various types of vegetation, demonstrating its dual role in both scientific observation and literary symbolism.
- the calyx is a perianth including both stamens and germ, one leafed fine cleft entire simiglobular, infrior, deciduous.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis - Calyx superior, with 5 small teeth and a deciduous cover composed of many orbicular pieces joined below.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - Calyx very small, monophyllous, of about 7 deciduous lobules.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - Calyx of 2 large teeth, deciduous.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - Calyx adherent, with 5 promptly deciduous teeth which leave a scar that also disappears.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - Petioles very short with 2 deciduous stipules at the base.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - the germin is ovate, Smooth, Superior, sessile, very Small; the Style is very Short, Simple, erect, on the top of the germen deciduous.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis - the germen is ovate, smooth, superior, sessile, very small; the Style is very short, simple, erect, on the top of the germen, deciduous.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis - A few of the trees examined had husks which were not quite deciduous to the base and were retained on the tree until after the nut had been released.
— from Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 44th Annual Meeting - Thus Mount Algidus, a spur of the Alban hills, was covered in antiquity with dark forests of oak, both of the evergreen and the deciduous sort.
— from The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion by James George Frazer - Cereals and deciduous trees form the distinguishing features of its vegetation.
— from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various - Under foot the leaves were dry, and the foliage of some holly bushes which grew among the deciduous trees was dense enough to keep off draughts.
— from Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy - may be arranged as deciduous, sub-evergreen, and evergreen.
— from The King James Version of the Bible
