# Persistence (botany) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Persistence_(botany) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Persistence_(botany).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_(botany) > Source revision: 1324166135 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Retention of plant organs that normally are shed}} [[File:Equisetum hyemale affine Pennsylvania USA 2020-03-09.jpg|thumb|''[Equisetum praealtum](/source/Equisetum_praealtum)'' with persistent stem in March]] [[File:Hamamelis virginiana Vermont USA 2022-04-17-A.jpg|thumb|''[Hamamelis virginiana](/source/Hamamelis_virginiana)'' with persistent calyx in April]] '''Persistence''' is the retention of [plant organ](/source/plant_organ)s, such as flowers, seeds, or leaves, after their normal function has been completed, in contrast with the shedding of [deciduous](/source/deciduous) organs after their purpose has been fulfilled.{{cite book |last1=Hitchcock |first1=C. Leo |last2=Cronquist |first2=Arthur |date=2018 |title=Flora of the Pacific Northwest |edition=2nd|page=xxxviii, xliii |publisher= University of Washington Press |location= Seattle |isbn=978-0-29574-288-5}} Absence or presence of persistent plant organs can be a helpful clue in [plant identification](/source/Determination_(biology)), and may be one of many types of anatomical details noted in the species descriptions or [dichotomous keys](/source/Single-access_key) of plant identification guides.{{Cite web|url=https://employees.csbsju.edu/ssaupe/biol308/Lecture/keys.htm |title=Plant Identification (featuring Taxonomic Keys) |last1=Saupe |first1=Stephen |website=College of St. Benedict/St. John's University|access-date=2022-05-01}} Many species of [woody plants](/source/woody_plants) with persistent fruit provide an important food source for birds and other wildlife in winter.{{r|Jauron 2000}} The terms persistent and deciduous are not used in a consistent manner by botanists. Related terms such as long-persistent, generally deciduous, and [caducous](/source/caducous) suggest that some plant parts are more persistent than others. However, these terms lack clear definitions.{{r|Harms 1}} == Species with persistent parts == There are numerous [herbaceous](/source/herbaceous_plant) and [woody plant](/source/woody_plant) species that produce persistent parts such as [bud](/source/bud) scales, [sepal](/source/sepal)s ({{Wikt-lang|en|calyx|italic=no}}), [frond](/source/frond)s, [fruit](/source/fruit)s, [seed](/source/seed)s, [strobili](/source/strobilus) ([cones](/source/Conifer_cone)) or [styles](/source/Stigma_(botany)). Note that the trait of persistence exhibited by a given [species](/source/species) within a [genus](/source/genus) may not be exhibited by all species within the genus. For example, the ''[Equisetum](/source/Equisetum)'' genus includes some species that have persistent [strobili](/source/strobilus) while other species have [deciduous](/source/deciduous) strobili.{{sfnp|Pojar|MacKinnon|1994|pages=428–431}} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Species ! Persistent part |- | ''[Berberis bealei](/source/Berberis_bealei)'' (leatherleaf mahonia){{r|MGNV}} | bud scales |- | ''[Berberis swaseyi](/source/Berberis_swaseyi)'' (Texas barberry){{r|Harms 2}} | bud scales |- | ''[Berberis trifoliolata](/source/Berberis_trifoliolata)'' (agarita){{r|Harms 2}} | bud scales |- | ''[Hamamelis virginiana](/source/Hamamelis_virginiana)'' (common witch-hazel){{r|MGNV}} | calyx |- | ''[Matteuccia struthiopteris](/source/Matteuccia_struthiopteris)'' (ostrich fern){{r|MGNV}} | frond |- | ''[Onoclea sensibilis](/source/Onoclea_sensibilis)'' (sensitive fern){{r|MGNV}} | frond |- | ''[Aronia arbutifolia](/source/Aronia_arbutifolia)'' (red chokeberry){{r|Jauron 2000|IOWA}} | fruit |- | ''[Berberis thunbergii](/source/Berberis_thunbergii)'' (Japanese barberry){{r|FEIS:berthu}} | fruit |- | ''[Cephalanthus occidentalis](/source/Cephalanthus_occidentalis)'' (buttonbush){{r|MGNV}} | fruit |- | ''[Chimaphila umbellata](/source/Chimaphila_umbellata)'' (umbellate wintergreen){{r|Guertin et al. 2017}} | fruit |- | ''[Clethra alnifolia](/source/Clethra_alnifolia)'' (sweet pepperbush){{r|MGNV}} | fruit |- | ''[Cornus florida](/source/Cornus_florida)'' (flowering dogwood){{Cite web|url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279338&isprofile=1&basic=cornus%20florida|title=Cornus florida |website= Missouri Botanical Garden|access-date=2022-05-01}} | fruit |- | ''[Cotoneaster apiculatus](/source/Cotoneaster_apiculatus)'' (cranberry cotoneaster){{r|IOWA}} | fruit |- | ''[Crataegus phaenopyrum](/source/Crataegus_phaenopyrum)'' (Washington hawthorn){{r|Jauron 2000|IOWA}} | fruit |- | ''[Hamamelis virginiana](/source/Hamamelis_virginiana)'' (common witch-hazel){{r|Guertin et al. 2017}} | fruit |- | ''[Ilex verticillata](/source/Ilex_verticillata)'' (winterberry){{r|Jauron 2000|MGNV|IOWA|Guertin et al. 2017}} | fruit |- | ''[Malus coronaria](/source/Malus_coronaria)'' (sweet crabapple){{r|MGNV}} | fruit |- | ''[Malus sargentii](/source/Malus_sargentii)'' (Sargent crabapple){{Cite web|url=https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST401|title=MALUS SARGENTII: SARGENT CRABAPPLE |last1=Gilman |first1=Edward |last2=Watson |first2=Dennis |website= University of Florida IFAS Extension |access-date=2022-05-01}} | fruit |- | ''[Orthilia secunda](/source/Orthilia_secunda)'' (one-sided wintergreen){{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} | fruit |- | ''[Oxydendrum arboreum](/source/Oxydendrum_arboreum)'' (sourwood){{r|MGNV}} | fruit |- | ''[Rhus typhina](/source/Rhus_typhina)'' (staghorn sumac){{r|IOWA}} | fruit |- | ''[Allium tricoccum](/source/Allium_tricoccum)'' (ramp){{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} | seed |- | ''[Eriophorum virginicum](/source/Eriophorum_virginicum)'' (tawny cottongrass){{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} | seed |- | ''[Equisetum praealtum](/source/Equisetum_praealtum)'' (rough horsetail){{r|FNA:233500619}} | stem |- | ''[Larix occidentalis](/source/Larix_occidentalis)'' (western larch){{cite book |last1=Hitchcock |first1=C. Leo |last2=Cronquist |first2=Arthur |date=2018 |title=Flora of the Pacific Northwest |edition=2nd|page=68 |publisher= University of Washington Press |location= Seattle |isbn=978-0-29574-288-5}} | strobilus |- | ''[Picea mariana](/source/Picea_mariana)'' (black spruce){{Cite web|url=https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/high-hanging-fruit-conifers|title=High-Hanging Fruit: Boom and Bust Seed Crops of Conifers |last1=Morse |first1=Susan |website= Northern Woodlands |date=10 November 2015 |access-date=2022-05-01}} | strobilus |- | ''[Pinus banksiana](/source/Pinus_banksiana)'' (Jack pine) | strobilus |- | ''[Clematis terniflora](/source/Clematis_terniflora)'' (sweet autumn clematis){{r|MGNV}} | style |- | ''[Orthilia secunda](/source/Orthilia_secunda)'' (one-sided wintergreen){{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} | style |} Common witch-hazel (''[Hamamelis virginiana](/source/Hamamelis_virginiana)'') may have a persistent calyx or a persistent fruit (or both at the same time). After flowering in the fall,{{r|FNA:220006023}} the [sepal](/source/sepal)s (calyx) and pollinated ovary persist during the winter months.{{r|MGNV}} After the ovary is fertilized in the spring, it fuses with the calyx to form a greenish fruit, which eventually becomes woody and brown.{{r|FNA:114541}} In the fall, the ripe fruit suddenly splits, explosively dispersing black seeds up to {{convert|10|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. The empty capsule persists after the seeds are dispersed.{{r|Guertin et al. 2017}} ==Image gallery== File:20201210Larix decidua2.jpg|''[Larix decidua](/source/Larix_decidua)'' has persistent [seed cones](/source/conifer_cone). File:Cornus florida Cherokee Princess 10zz.jpg|This ''[Cornus florida](/source/Cornus_florida)'' cultivar has persistent [fruit](/source/fruit) into winter. File:Pinus banksiana 2021 06 20 Kumpula 0352.jpg|[Seed cones](/source/conifer_cone) of ''[Pinus banksiana](/source/Pinus_banksiana)'' persist on branches long after seeds are released. File:Berberis thunbergii berries.jpg|''[Berberis thunbergii](/source/Berberis_thunbergii)'' has persistent [fruit](/source/fruit). File:Ruhland, Brauhausplatz, Zierapfel (Malus sargentii) in Gebüschpflanzung, Früchte am Zweig, Herbst, 01.jpg|''[Malus sargentii](/source/Malus_sargentii)'' has persistent fruit. File:Nova Scotia DSC 2601 (2300122122).jpg|[Serotinous](/source/serotiny) [seed cones](/source/conifer_cone) of ''[Picea mariana](/source/Picea_mariana)'' persist even after fire has caused the seeds to be released. File:Red Chokeberry - Flickr - treegrow (1).jpg|Fruit of this ''[Aronia arbutifolia](/source/Aronia_arbutifolia)'' cultivar persist through the winter and into early spring when new buds are emerging. File:Hamamelis virginiana Vermont USA 2022-04-17-B.jpg|''[Hamamelis virginiana](/source/Hamamelis_virginiana)'' with persistent fruit in April File:Eriophorum virginicum Ontario CA 2019-03-10.jpg|''[Eriophorum virginicum](/source/Eriophorum_virginicum)'' with persistent seeds in March ==See also== * [Evergreen](/source/Evergreen) * [Semi-deciduous](/source/Semi-deciduous) * [Marcescence](/source/Marcescence) ==References== {{Reflist|40em|refs= {{Cite web |title=Berberis thunbergii |website= USDA and USFS Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/berthu/all.html |access-date=2023-11-28}} {{eFloras|1|114541|Hamamelis |family=Hamamelidaceae |first=Frederick G. |last=Meyer}} {{eFloras|1|220006023|Hamamelis virginiana |family=Hamamelidaceae |first=Frederick G. |last=Meyer}} {{eFloras|1|233500619|Equisetum hyemale subsp. affine |family= Equisetaceae |first1=Richard L. |last1=Hauke |access-date=23 November 2025}} {{cite web |last1=Guertin |first1=P. |last2=Barnett |first2=L. |last3=Denny |first3=E.G. |last4=Schaffer |first4=S.N. |title=Phenophase Primer for Plants (Draft Version) |url=https://www.usanpn.org/files/npn/reports/USA-NPN-PhenophasePrimer_Section1-June2017.pdf |publisher=USA National Phenology Network |access-date=28 November 2023 |page=78 |date=2017}} {{cite web |last1=Harms |first1=Bob |title=Deciduous and Persistent |url=https://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/DigFlora/BERB/deciduous.html |access-date=23 November 2023}} {{cite web |last1=Harms |first1=Bob |title=Persistent Bud Scales of ''Berberis'' in Central Texas |url=https://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/DigFlora/BERB/BERB-persist.html |access-date=22 November 2023}} {{Cite web |last1=Jauron |first1=Richard |title=Trees and Shrubs with Colorful Fruit in Fall and Winter |website=Iowa State University Extension and Outreach |url=https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2004/11-5-2004/colorful.html |access-date=2023-11-26}} {{Cite web |title=It's for the Birds! |last1=Jauron |first1=Richard |website=Iowa State University Extension and Outreach |url=https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2000/2-25-2000/forthebirds.html |access-date=2022-05-01}} {{cite web |title=Persistent |url=https://mgnv.org/plants/glossary/persistent/ |website=Master Gardeners Northern Virginia |date=10 December 2021 |publisher=Virginia Cooperative Extension |access-date=22 November 2023}} }} ==Bibliography== * {{cite book |last1=Pojar |first1=Jim |last2=MacKinnon |first2=Andy |date=1994 |title=Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast |edition=2nd |publisher=Lone Pine |isbn=978-1-55105-530-5}} Category:Plant physiology --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Persistence (botany)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_(botany)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_(botany)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.