For a forward heat equation or a related reaction-diffusion equation on a spatial domain , the parabolic boundary is the union of the initial face and the lateral spatial boundary. It excludes the interior of the final-time face. This is the boundary relevant to the forward maximum principle: values at a later time are controlled by earlier data and the lateral boundary. Writing instead of in the union gives the same set, since the lateral term includes the initial rim.
New to topics? Read the docs here!