Glossary

Deciduous (deh-SIJ-oo-us) describes plants that shed their leaves seasonally — typically in autumn — and remain leafless through the dormant period before leafing out again in spring.

In most of the world, deciduous plants drop leaves in response to cold. In California, and particularly in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the pattern is more complex. Some native deciduous shrubs and trees drop leaves in response to the long, dry summer rather than winter cold. California Buckeye (Aesculus californica) is among the most visible examples, going bare by midsummer as a direct response to drought stress. Others follow the more familiar cold-triggered pattern.

The distinction matters for habitat gardeners in the SCM because deciduous plants leave gaps in the understory — in cover, shelter, and insect habitat — during the months when they are bare. 

Native evergreen shrubs like California Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) and Coffeeberry (Frangula californica) fill this gap, maintaining structure and shelter through the seasons as deciduous plants die back. 

A planting that mixes deciduous and evergreen natives provides year-round habitat continuity that a deciduous-only planting cannot.

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