Definition of cultigen in English:
cultigen
noun ˈkʌltɪdʒ(ə)nˈkəltəjən
Botany A plant species or variety known only in cultivation, especially one with no known wild ancestor.
Example sentencesExamples
- It is unclear which or how many wild species or cultigens were the progenitors of the extant avocado races.
- These sites had a domesticated plant system incorporating native and introduced cultigens, while the Mill Creek sites also exhibited a dispersed field location pattern.
- During the next five or even ten years, non-grain cultigens dominated; first root crops and then tree crops were cultivated.
- The period is characterized by the gradual introduction of maize and other tropical cultigens, gradually transforming the resident hunter-gatherer populations into sedentary agricultural communities.
- If other factors affecting population size had remained constant, the predictable result would have been population growth wherever these crops replaced less efficient cultigens.
Origin
Early 20th century: from cultivated (past participle of cultivate) + -gen.