evergreen

A woody perennial plant that retains its foliage throughout the year by continuously shedding and replacing a few leaves at a time. Many evergreens are tropical or equatorial plants that are not subject to periods of winter cold or dry seasons. Evergreens growing in temperate and cold latitudes show various adaptations to overcome water loss by transpiration. For example, many coniferous trees have needlelike or scalelike leaves to reduce surface area. Compare deciduous.