Corn
(Zea mays)
Presented by Gaby Negron
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Did you know?
Did you know?
When we think of corn it's normal to picture one that is pure yellow, but there is a variant of Zea mays called Flint corn grown that naturally grows in many different colors! It is usually used for decorative purposes, but it is edible.
Scientific classification
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Zea
Species: Zea mays
Genetic History
Genetic History
LUCA
Eukarya
Plants
Land plants
Vascular plants
Seed plants
Flowering plants (Angiosperms)
Poaceae Family
Zea mexicana (Teosinte)
Zea mays (Corn)
Domestication
Domestication
Teosinte is corn's wild ancestor that began to be bred in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago.
Modern corn has been completely domesticated. It cannot survive in the wild now. Humans, through selective breeding, have stripped away its mechanisms for reproduction and seed dispersal.
Sweet corn
Flint corn
Pop corn
Variability
Variability
There are different variants of corn.
Sweet corn
Flint corn
Pop corn
Dent corn
Flour corn
Waxy corn
Dent corn
Flour corn
Waxy corn
Sweet corn
Sweet corn
Contains more sugar compared to other corn types
Harvested at its immature stage when its kernels are soft and tender
Flint corn
Flint corn
Has a characteristically hard outer shell
Naturally comes in many different colors
Used as decoration during Autumn
Ground into cornmeal when used for food
Pop corn
Pop corn
A subtype of flint corn with smaller kernels
When heated, the built-up pressure makes it explode from its hard shell to reveal the starchy center
Dent corn
Dent corn
Used as animal feed
Made into biofuel/ethanol
Used as a sweetener when it's corn syrup
Used in baking as an oil
Flour corn
Flour corn
Ground into corn flour and used in many ways for cooking and baking.
Such as, to bread food and make it crunchy, and as a primary ingredient to making meals like pupusas and tortillas.
Used in gluten-free recipes as a standard flour substitute
Waxy corn
Waxy corn
Has 100% amylopectin starch compared to others' approx. 73%
This makes it harder for this corn to break down when it's frozen
It is used as a thickening agent in foods
As well as an adhesive agent in the tape and paper industry
Overall relationship with humans:
History
History
Provided food stability to nomadic ancestors
Corn was easy to store which led to food being saved for later times
This helped settlements prosper from the reliable harvests corn produced.
Food
Food
Can be eaten on its own
Can be made into corn syrup, corn flour, and corn oil.
Some everyday examples of foods made with these ingredients: Chips, tortillas, cereals, sodas, candies, bakery goods, fried foods, etc.
Economy
Economy
Corn is the primary feed grain exported in the United States.
It is used in a multitude of different ways besides human food.
Feeding animals, ingredient in biofuel, used in soaps and cosmetics, works as an adhesive glue, etc.
References:
References:
“All about Popcorn.” Different Types of Corn, www.popcorn.org/All-About-Popcorn/Different-Types-of-Corn. Accessed 2 June 2026.
“Corn and Other Feed Grains - Feed Grains Sector at a Glance.” Corn and Other Feed Grains - Feed Grains Sector at a Glance | Economic Research Service, www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feed-grains/feed-grains-sector-at-a-glance. Accessed 2 June 2026.
The Corn Crop NCH-10 Origin, Adaptation, and Types of Corn, corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/Management/pdfs/NCH10.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2026.
Corn: A Fruit, Vegetable, Grain, or All Three? Item Type Pamphlet; Text Authors, repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/670003/AZ1915-2021.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 2 June 2026.
“Different Types of Corn & How They Are Used.” American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, www.agfoundation.org/news/different-types-of-corn-how-they-are-used. Accessed 2 June 2026.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Indian Corn | Howstuffworks, recipes.howstuffworks.com/everything-about-indian-corn.htm. Accessed 2 June 2026.
“Indian Corn.” Wisconsin Horticulture, hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/indian-corn/. Accessed 2 June 2026.
“Maize.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 May 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize.
“Top Little Did You Know Corn Facts.” Nestlé Cereals, www.nestle-cereals.com/uk/blog/healthy-breakfast/top-facts-about-corn. Accessed 2 June 2026.
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