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(Triticum aestivum), a species of wheat with a tough, awned or awnless, loose, elongated spike and a naked grain of varied coloring (white, yellow, red). Common wheat is hexaploid (contains 42 chromosomes in its somatic cells) and very flexible. The most common species of wheat, it is cultivated in all agricultural regions of the world. It is a winter-hardy, drought-resistant, and early-ripening plant. There are more than 250 known varieties; the most widespread varieties are Lutescens, Erythrospermum, Milturum, Albidum, Ferrugineum, and Graecum.