CORN

Synonym
Indian Corn
Maize

PARTS USED
Seeds, Silk

HABITAT
South America;
also cultivated in other parts of America,
in the West Indian Islands, Australia, Africa,
India, etc., and now in France.

DESCRIPTION
A monoecious plant.
Male flowers in terminal racemes;
spikelets, two-flowered glumes nearly equal,
herbaceous, terminating in two sharp points;
females, axillary in the sheaths of the leaves.
The spikes or ears proceed from the stalks
at various distances from the ground, and are
closely enveloped in several thin leaves,
forming a sheath called the husk;
the ears consist of a cylindrical substance,
a pith called the cob; on this the seeds
are ranged in eight rows,
each row having thirty or more seeds.
From the eyes or germs of the seeds
proceed individual filaments of a silky
appearance and bright green colour;
these hang from the point
of the husk and are called 'the silk.'
The use of these filaments or stigmata
is to receive the farina which drops
from the flowers, and without which
the flowers would produce no seed.
As soon as this has been effected,
the tops and 'the silk' dry up.
The maize grains are of varying color
- usually yellow, but often ranging to black.


ACTIONS
HABITAT
LORE
NATIVE AMERICAN LORE
~*~ Other Species ~*~
USAGE