Zea mays L. - A Scientific Fact Sheet

Introduction: There's an increasing number of researchers working on maize / corn / Zea mays around the world. Some of these folk come from backgrounds with limited exposure to general botany and systematic/taxonomic botany. While others have migrated to studying maize from studies based on various aspects of some animal system. The purpose of this document is to help you to get to know the organism you are researching - to know its morphology, micro-morphology, anatomy, reproductive biology, physiology .... While Zea mays (corn/maize) is a member of the grass family (Poaceae) it is an unusual grass - particularly with respect to some aspects of its reproductive structures.

Some of the topics to be covered:

Structure of the corn/maize plant

- vegetative structure

- structure of the reproductive organs

• morphology, micro-morphology, anatomy of the male flowering system ("tassel")
• morphology, micro-morphology, anatomy of the female flowering system ("ear")

- biology of reproduction

Reproduction of corn/maize

Relationships with other members of the grass family

Putative origins of corn/maize