cladoptosis: Meaning and Definition of

clad•op•to•sis

Pronunciation: (klad"op-tō'sis, klā"dop-), [key]
— n. Bot.
  1. the annual shedding of twigs or branches instead of leaves, as in certain cypresses.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.