Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Zea mays ssp. mays
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Zea from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Corn was domesticated in Mexico over 10,000 years ago. Read more at "Edible Plants from the Americas".
Pistillate spikelets in dense axillary spikes (ears) surrounded by numerous foliaceous bracts (husks); rachis (cob) thick; styles (silk) exserted from bracts, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Zea mays ssp. mays
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Zea mays ssp. mays
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25 (2003)
Zea mays ssp. mays
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-91-001:
Zea mays FAMILY Poaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Zea mays
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Zea mays
COMMON NAME:
Corn, Maize
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm230706_4364
July Spartanburg County SC
in cultivation
Staminate spikelets in a terminal, paniculate inflorescence, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm230706_4365
July Spartanburg County SC
in cultivation
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Zea mays ssp. mays
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Zea mays ssp. mays
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Zea mays ssp. mays
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25
Zea mays ssp. mays
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-91-001:
Zea mays
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Zea mays
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Zea mays
4327
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Annual
Monoecious
Habitat: Very commonly cultivated, rarely volunteering in old fields or around trashpiles, common in cultivation, rare as a short-lived escape, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Mexico
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate, 2-ranked
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Unisexual
Staminate spikelets in terminal panicles; pistillate in axillary spikes (ears)
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Grain - dense axillary spikes (ears) surrounded by foliaceous bracts (husks)
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".