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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of self-sown

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

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

Likewise, self-sown tomato seedlings that pop up in the garden next spring could carry certain pathogens, including Septoria.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 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

Thoroughly hardy in at least the southern half of England, self-sown seedlings of it having been known to spring up in considerable numbers under old plants in sheltered positions.

From Trees and Shrubs for English Gardens by Cook, Ernest Thomas