Page created by Dustin Murrell.
Corn, also known as maize, is a member of the grass family (the Gramineae grass family), and is an annual plant. It is the largest of all the cereals, and can be as tall of 15 feet. The stem, also known as the cornstalk, is jointed and hard. It is a lot like bamboo. Corn contains both male and femail flowers. It has male flowers that are borne in the tassel, which is at the top of the stalk. Its female flowers are clustered at the joint of the stalk. This is referred to as the cob.
You may notice silks hanging from the hush if each cob. These are receptors. If each thread of silk does not recieve a grain of pollen, the kernal (its fruit) will not develop. A fertilized cob, commonly referred to as an ear, should have at least eight rows of kernals. From one to three cobs will grow on each stalk.
It is the world's forth most important crop, behind only wheat, rice, and potatoes. Corn is one of a very little number of econominc plants from America. The US produces 40% of the world's output of corn. There are more than 327 million acres of corn planted each year, worldwide. That produces over 526 millions US tons. Other countries that produce a large amount of corn include: Africa, Argentina, Brazil, China, France, India, Mexico, Romania, Russia, and South Africa.