after-ripening

af·ter-ri·pen·ing

(ăf′tər-rī′pə-nĭng)

n.

The physiological changes occurring within a dormant seed before it is able to germinate.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

after-ripening

n

(Botany) botany the period of internal change that is necessary in some apparently mature seeds before germination can occur

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014