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 The Botanical Basics
Plant Source: Zea mays
Plant Family: Poaceae
Plant type: grass
Plant part used: seed (grain/kernel)
Uses: vegetable, flour, oil, sweetener, and beverage
Origin: Mexico
The maize plant fills field after field across the central United States, and it grows in family gardens from tropical Mexico to the highlands of Kenya. Maize is one of the tallest-growing annuals, and as one of the most widely grown food plants. It grows at sea level, as well as in fields at over 11,000 feet (3,600 meters). This gigantic grass plant may reach a height of 12 feet.
Fun Facts:
Some maize varieties are adapted to desert or very dry climates. Their roots can grow up to 10 feet deep in order to reach the water table deep below the ground surface.
The maize plant has two different kinds of flowers. One cluster of flowers, or inflorescence, is located at the top of the plant and is called the tassel. (Figure 1, A). These flowers lack female reproductive parts and only produce pollen. The other inflorescence, called the ear, arises where the corn plant’s long, narrow leaves, intersect its stem (Figure 1, B). The spike-like ear is made up of numerous flowers, all attached to a central axis, called the cob. Unlike the tassel, these flowers are female, and are not capable of making pollen.
 The tassel produces pollen and for several days during the growing cycle, the pollen will drift (by gravity or wind) to the “silk” of the corn plant. The tufts of “silk” (Figure 2) at the tip of the ear are the styles of the flowers and transport pollen to the ovary. It takes about 24 hours for pollen to grow down the styles and reach the ovaries of the corn ear. When fertilized, each ovary will develop into a kernel of corn. The leaf-like husks surrounding the ear protect the developing kernels.
 Each kernel contains a seed made up of an oil-rich embryo (germ) and nutrient-stocked endosperm (Figure 3). If planted in the right conditions, the germ will grow into a new corn plant by using the endosperm for food. The endosperm makes up 80-90% of the dry weight of the kernel.
continue to botany: 5 primary types of corn >>
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