cultigen: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

A cultigen is a plant or group whose very existence is owed to cultivation (no known wild ancestor). A cultivar (cultivated variety) is a specific, named variety within a species, which could be a selection from a wild plant or a variety of a cultigen. All cultigens have cultivars, but not all cultivars are from cultigens.

Traditionally yes, but the concept is sometimes extended to other domesticated organisms like certain fungi (e.g., cultivated mushrooms) or microorganisms used in fermentation, where the cultivated form is distinct from wild relatives.

Yes, through a process called 'feralization' or 'naturalization', where a cultigen escapes cultivation and establishes self-sustaining populations in the wild, e.g., feral apple trees. However, it remains classified as a cultigen due to its origin.

Yes, modern bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a classic example of a cultigen. It is a hexaploid species that arose under cultivation from the hybridization of earlier cultivated and wild grasses, and has no known wild hexaploid ancestor.

A plant species or variety that originated and has been maintained under cultivation through human selection, not known to have a wild ancestor.

Cultigen is usually formal, technical, academic in register.

Cultigen: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkʌltɪdʒən/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkʌltɪdʒən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.