maturity (tree parts)
The foliage of some species changes form from juvenile to adult, wood properties change with age and the non-flowering (juvenile) state changes to the flowering (mature) state. Current-year shoots are mature if they have completed their development before the onset of the dormant season.
This definition is abridged from A – Z of tree terms: A companion to British arboriculture.
Read the preface. Order the book.