Annual

Annual, a botanical term applied to such plants as complete their life-cycle from the germination of the seed to the ripening of seed by the seedling plant and the death of that plant in a single season, as opposed to biennials and perennials. Annuals seldom form any woody tissue, are mostly small, and frequently complete their life within a few weeks, several generations being produced within the year. The name is also applied to publications which appear once a year, generally at Christmas time.