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ZEA L. Corn
Plants monoecious, caespitose, annual or perennial. Culms erect or ascending; internodes solid,
glabrous, terete; nodes glabrous. Leaves cauline, not distinctly distichous; sheaths terete, margins open;
auricles absent; ligules a ciliate membrane; blades flat (broad), linear, lax, apex acuminate. Staminate
spikelets in panicles (tassels) of racemose branches, terminal, 1 per culm. Stamens 3; anthers
purple. Pistillate spikelets in a modified spicate raceme (cob), axillary, several per
culm, sheaths subtending pistillate inflorescence spathe-like; spikelets in rows, similar in size and shape,
not disarticulating, not compressed; sessile spikelets pistillate; first glumes 0-keeled, gland-like depressions
not present; smooth, hyaline, glabrous, awnless; second glumes length equals first glumes; lower florets
sterile, lemmas hyaline; paleas present or absent, hyaline; upper florets pistillate; lemmas hyaline, apex
entire, awnless; paleas present, hyaline. Caryopses large, dorsiventrally compressed, yellow. Base chromosome
number x=10.
A genus of two species. Corn is important for animal forage and humans. This genus is native to the
Americas.
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