Hybrid

A hybrid is the product of mating between individuals of different species or strains. The word is most common when talking about animals and plants.

Petunia × atkinsiana, also called Petunia × hybrida, is often grown in gardens.

A mule is a hybrid of a female horse and a male donkey.

Mules are hybrid animals. The female parent is a horse and the male parent is a donkey. The result, a mule, is sterile. Not all hybrids are sterile. Many garden plants and crop plants are hybrids. New species are sometimes formed from hybrids between two other species.