There are a handful of trees that do hold onto their dry, brown leaves throughout winter. The term for this is “marcescence.” The abscission layer on these trees does not completely form until spring, which allows them to hold on to their leaves much longer. I am writing an article on this very topic for our paper. Starred!!!!!
@jeanniec57 Cool! I’m curious to know “What’s in it for them”, i.e. why they evolved to do that? I’m a biology teacher so teach kids about senescence and abscission layers, but hadn’t looked into why some leaves hold onto them longer, so appreciate your comment!
