Definitions for "Winter annual"
A plant with seeds germinating in late summer or fall and completing flowering and fruiting in spring or summer of the following year and then dying.
A plant which germinates in the autumn, lives over winter, produces its seed during the following spring and then dies.
A plant that starts from seed in the fall, lives over winter, and completes its growth, including seed production, the following season. (Examples: vetch and chickweed.) Many plants commonly known as annuals can also be classified as winter annuals, depending on time of germination, etc. (See also Annual.)