Corn - The Amazing Maize
Ranked #4,927 in Education, #115,079 overall
Corn - (Zea mays sp.)
Corn (Zea mays sp.), a member of the grass family--therefore, it's a Monocot - meaning "one seed"-- is an annual plant that grows 7 to 10 feet tall. Strong roots called prop roots help support the cornstalk. A tassel grows at the top of each jointed cornstalk and contains hundreds of small flowers that produce pollen (the "male" part of the plant). Long, sword-shaped, pointed leaves grow outward from the stalk.
"Ears" of corn grow where the leaves join the stalk. A plant normally has one or two ears. Special leaves, called "husks" protect each ear. An ear consists of a corncob covered with rows of kernels. An ear may have 8, 10,12 or more rows of kernels.
Each corn kernel has a silky thread that runs from the kernel up the row, and sticks out of the husk at the end of the ear. This thread (the "female" part of the plant) is called the "corn silk". The silk is what is pollinated to produce a kernel of corn.
Genetic Variety of "Indian Corn" -- Multicolored Kernels
Corny History
More than 7,000 years ago, the ancestors of corn grew in central Mexico as a form of wild grass. Over the years, the Native Americans found ways to develop the grass such that it became a taller, more robust plant with more defined and large starchy seeds--kernels.
By the time Leif Erickson and later, Christopher Columbus, arrived in the New World, the Native American Indians had already been growing corn for centuries. The Indians of the central Mexico area called this plant "maize". The Columbus and the later Spanish explorers brought the new-found plant back to Spain, from which it spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world. It now grows in every continent of the world except Antartica.
Even though this plant had been developed over thousands of years, it still didn't look like the standard white or yellow corn that most of us are accustomed to seeing most of the time in our supermarkets.
Over thousands of years of experimentation and just growing and harvesting corn, we now have the plant we're most familiar with--the all-yellow or white corn that we see most of the time in our stores.
Corn, from the modern to the ancient....
Corn on CafePress
Dry Cornstalks with Open Ears (Showing Kernels)
Corn by the Bay... eBay, That Is!
Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota .... Only In America, eh?
A Maizing Movies that Feature Corn as One of the Main Characters! Corny, I Know!
But check them out here... you'll never look at corn the same way again...
Signs (Vista Series)
From M. Night Shyamalan, the writer/director of TH more...0 points
Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition)
An iowa farmer replaces part of his crop with a ba more...0 points
Twister (Two-Disc Special Edition)
A mile-wide, 300 miles-per-hour force of total dev more...0 points
![Children of the Corn [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61TgcVOb9EL._SL75_.jpg)
Children of the Corn [Blu-ray]
The Children of the Corn Blu-ray offers over 40 min more...0 points
Ears of Corn on Corn Stalks -- Still Developing, Not Ready for Harvest
Corn - Food for Thought
The Story of Corn by Betty Fussell
The Story of Corn is a unique compendium, drawing upon more...0 points
Corn by Gail Gibbons
Perennial nonfiction favourite Gail Gibbons turns more...0 points
Corn Is Maize (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)
What's so great about corn?Popcorn, corn on the cob, more...0 points
The Structure and Reproduction of Corn by Theodore Alexander Kiesselbach
...an invaluable resource for plant biologists, in more...0 points
Farm to Market: Rice & Corn
Consumed by both people and animals, rice and corn more...0 points
Farm to Market: Rice & Corn (Home Use)
Consumed by both people and animals, rice and corn more...0 points
21st Century Ethanol, Gasohol, and Renewable Fuels Digest ¿ Fuel Ethanol, E85 Fuel, Bioethanol, Dry-Mill Production, Grain and Cellulosic Sources, Agricultural Issues, Energy Department Alternative Fuels Information, Agriculture Department on Corn Ethanol
This is a collection of authoritative documents and more...0 points
Rows of Green Cornstalks in the Sunset
Another thing you can do with corn!
It's absolutely AMAZING! The MAZE, that is!
Corn Links
- Dell'Osso Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch
- If you want to get up close and personal with corn, this is the place to do it! A whole bunch of different mazes through the maize. Plus, pumpkins and "pumpkin blasters" (cannons), and sort of a "fall harvest" attraction for the whole family!
- The Story of Corn - Quick Facts
- This website is a great resource for teachers and students to learn more about the most common farm crop in the U.S. (and potentially-the world). Cool activities for kids and aids to help the learning process along.
- World's Healthiest Foods - Corn
- This website provides a lot of nutritional information on corn (and discusses the varieties as well).
- The Corn Refiners Association
- This website is an "industrial-strength" website that discusses the impact of corn in the world-wide economy. Interesting material, lots of facts and figures.
- The Great Corn Adventure
- This animated website has accompanying music--it should be a hit with the younger kids as a way to learn about corn. Corny, but it works!
- King Corn
- Two university students planted an acre of corn. And then followed it from planting to harvesting. This is their story. Interesting resources.
- Popcorn Journal - Secret Recipes of A Famous Popcorn Business
- Okay, you don't want to plant it, you don't want to harvest it, but you'd still like to play with it? How about Popping It? This website has info on the Popcorn Popping Business. Check it out.
We're all ears.... leave a kernel of wisdom with us!
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4U2C Mar 1, 2011 @ 7:48 am | delete
- I love corn! Ever since I was a child, I loved popcorn, corn chips, corn on the cob, corn off the cob, parched corn...the list is too extensive to finish here. Congratulations on a great Lens, on one of my favorite subjects!
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SofiaMann
Oct 30, 2010 @ 9:27 pm | delete
- The native peoples gave wide variety of applications to maize. For many people was the main food. I love it. Nice lens.
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NAIZA
Apr 27, 2009 @ 9:04 pm | delete
- This is my favorite snacks! Some people eat this as a staple food but I prefer rice. I've always loved corn or mais.. Fabulous lens! :)
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naturegirl7 Nov 30, 2008 @ 7:42 pm | delete
- Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens link to the appropriate plexo and vote for it.
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Not a Corny Story--but a Good One!
The Story of Corn
Amazon Price: $19.63 (as of 05/28/2012)
Using narrative and illustrations based on experience from living amidst the cornfields, this author really gets the point across in an enjoyable way. Everything you want to know about corn but you were afraid to ask!
The Maze in the Corn! Turkeys in the Corn! Pumpkins in the Corn!
Agricultural puzzles? Especially around Halloween time!
Using Corn as a way to teach history!
Corn and Capitalism: How a Botanical Bastard Grew to Global Dominance
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 05/28/2012)
The title of this book sort of gives you an idea of the approach this author uses to inform us about corn. Using this vegetable as a way to teach history is one way to combine reading, science, history, anthropology, and culinary studies into one book.
