self-sown

American  

[self-sohn] / ˈsɛlfˈsoʊn /

adjective

1. sown by itself, or without human or animal agency, as of a plant grown from seeds dropped from another plant.

2. sown by any agency other than humans, as of a plant grown from seeds scattered by birds or the wind.

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self-sown British  

adjective

1. Also: self-seeded.  (of plants) growing from seed dispersed by any means other than by the agency of man or animals

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Etymology

Origin of self-sown

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

A total of 1,245 self-sown Kentish milkwort plants have been recorded at Queendown Warren, near Sittingbourne in Kent – the largest population of the species in the UK.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

Dug was self-sown but Craig-Brown said that with all his subsequent research into giant potatoes, he’s ready to try and deliberately grow a record-breaking monster next season.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2022

Doug must have been self-sown, and quite possibly growing for a couple of years or more.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2021

He also wrote, “Many plants in this garden are self-sown and they often provide me with excellent ideas.”

From New York Times • May 9, 2017

Here a multitude of self-sown firs sprang up in the enclosures, and Darwin went to examine into the cause of the strange phenomenon.

From Life of Charles Darwin by Bettany, G. T. (George Thomas)