caduques

Caduques is a French adjective (and the plural form used to modify plural nouns) that designates something that tends to fall away, shed, or disappear naturally. The term comes from Latin caducus, from cadere, “to fall,” and is often used in scientific and botanical contexts.

In botany, caducous describes plant parts that detach from the plant spontaneously after reaching maturity or shortly after flowering. Caducous organs are typically shed without requiring further developmental processes, in contrast with persistent or durable parts that remain attached for longer periods. Common examples include caducous petals and sepals that fall after flowering, or scales and husks that are shed during fruiting or seed dispersal. The concept helps distinguish morphological traits and life-history strategies among plant species.

The related noun caducité (caducity) refers to the property or condition of being caducous. In botany, the term is often used alongside contrasts such as persistent (ou persistant) to describe how long a part remains on the plant. In everyday language, caduques can also describe things that are fleeting or ephemeral, and the word is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to ideas, customs, or objects that quickly become obsolete.

See also: caducité, caducous in biological terminology, deciduous (in reference to leaves and other plant parts).