caducous

Adjective

• Falling off early; not permanent; transitory.
• shed at an early stage of development
  • "most amphibians have caducous gills"
  • "the caducous calyx of a poppy"

Adj

• Of a part of an organism, disappearing in the normal course of development.
• Tending to fall early.

Examples

• A truly caducous lead in Scrabble can vanish quickly with a few big plays.
• caducous leaves

Synonyms

shed

Antonyms

persistent