Article
Article
Evergreen plant
Article By:
Ammons, Nelle Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Last reviewed:July 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.247400
A plant that retains its green foliage throughout the year. An evergreen plant, or simply evergreen, is a tree, shrub, or plant whose leaves are not shed in the winter and instead remain green year-round. In contrast, deciduous trees and plants regularly lose their leaves at the end of each growing season. Popularly, needle-leaved trees [for example, pine (see illustration), fir, juniper, and spruce] and certain broad-leaved shrubs (for example, rhododendron and laurel) are called evergreens. In warm regions, many broad-leaved trees (for example, magnolia and live oak) are evergreens. Moreover, in the tropics, most trees are evergreen plants and nearly all have broad leaves. In addition, many herbaceous biennials and perennials have basal rosettes with leaves close to the ground that remain green throughout the winter. See also: Deciduous plants; Forest; Forestry; Leaf; Plant; Tree
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