abscisic acid or (formerly) abscisin II or dormin or ABA; 5-(1- hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-4-oxocyclohex-2-en-1-yl)-3-methylpenta- 2,4-dienoic acid; a chiral sesquiterpene. The naturally occurring form, the 2Z,4E,S isomer, also designated (S)-abscisic acid, is a phytohormone formed by the degradation of carotenoids. It controls abscission in flowers and fruit but probably not in leaves, and is also implicated in geotropism,