Introduction to the Maize Plant
Maize (Zea mays) is a tall, warm weather annual grass. It is deep-rooted but requires abundant moisture for best development. A single long stalk will develop from seed. Long smooth leaves are attached at the stem nodes. Seed producing shoots originate from the base of the main stem. The female flowers are borne on the corn 'ear', which arises at a leaf axil near the mid-point along the stem. The flower organs, and later the grain kernels, are enclosed in several layers of papery tissue, termed husks. A mass of long styles (silks) protrude from the tip as a mass of silky threads. These strands are actually the stigmas from the flowers and emerge at the same time the pollen from the terminal tassels is shed. The pollen is wind blown and comes in contact with the emerged silk or stigma.
Most varieties of corn require 100 to 140 days from seeding to full ripeness of the kernels though some kinds will ripen in as little as 80 days. Corn kernels or seeds vary in size and shape in different kinds and varieties. They may be only an eighth inch long and near round in popcorn to a half inch long and a flattened-cylinder shape in some other kinds. The kernel consists of the following: (1) An outer thin covering which is made up of two layers, an outer pericarp and inner testa or true seed coat. (2) The endosperm which makes up near 0.66 of the total volume. This consists almost entirely of starch, except in sweet corn. (3) The embryo, the miniature plant structure that develops into a new plant if the seed is planted and grows. The embryo is near one side of the kernel in most kinds rather than in the middle. It contains most of the oil in corn.
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