An organism, typically a plant, that has six complete sets of chromosomes all derived from the same species, occurring through doubling of its own chromosome set.
From auto- (self) + hexaploid (from Greek hex 'six' + aplous 'simple' + -oid 'resembling'). A genetics term where 'auto' indicates that all chromosome sets originate from the organism's own species rather than from hybridization.
Autohexaploids are fascinating because they essentially cloned themselves—an organism's DNA got duplicated three times over, which should have been a genetic disaster but sometimes created superplants with enhanced size and vigor, making them important for crops like wheat and strawberries.
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