cultigen
English edit
Etymology edit
culti(vated) + -gen or from Latin cultus (“cultivated”) + gēns (“kind”). Coined by American botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey in 1918.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
cultigen (plural cultigens)
- (botany, horticulture) A plant that has been deliberately altered or selected by humans, that is it has resulted from artificial rather than natural selection. [from 1918]
- Synonym: anthropogenic plant
- Antonym: indigen
Usage notes edit
Cultigen and cultivar may be confused with one another. Cultigen is a general-purpose term while cultivar is a formal classification category in the ICNCP (“International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants”). In practice most cultigens are cultivars.
Hyponyms edit
- (plant selected by humans): cultivar
Derived terms edit
See also edit
References edit
- Bailey, L.H. 1918. The indigen and cultigen. Science ser. 2, 47:306-308
- Spencer, R.D. and Cross, R.G. 2007. The cultigen. Taxon 56(3):938-940