What term describes a plant or tree that sheds its foliage at the end of the growing season?

The term that describes a plant or tree that sheds its foliage at the end of the growing season is "deciduous." Deciduous plants have adapted to seasonal changes by losing their leaves during the fall or in response to environmental conditions, such as drought or cold temperatures. This process helps the plant conserve water and energy during less favorable conditions.

In contrast, evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, allowing them to continue photosynthesis even in winter. Perennials are plants that live for multiple years, often blooming each season, but they don't specifically refer to leaf-shedding behavior. Annuals complete their life cycle in one growing season, germinating, flowering, and dying within that time frame, which does not relate to the shedding of leaves each year. Thus, "deciduous" is the appropriate term defining the leaf-shedding characteristic.