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- True grasses
- Zea mays
Zea mays — corn
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Facts
Zea mays ssp. mays is a cultivated, annual grass that originated in Mexico. It is now widely planted around the world for its grain. Corn is often called maize, a Spanish corruption of one indigenous word for this plant.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 25–120 mm
- Inflorescence branches
-
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Spikelet length
- 9–14 mm
- Glume relative length
- one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther number
- 0–3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Glume relative length
- one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Glume shape
- the glume is flat or curved in cross-section
- Glume veins
- 0
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
-
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Inflorescence type (general)
-
- the inflorescence is a spike, or is spike-like, lacking obvious branches
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
-
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Inforescence position
-
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- the spikelets are mainly found at the nodes, in the axils of leaves, along the stem
- Lemma awn base
- NA
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has no awn
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma vein number
- 3
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Reproductive system
- the plant has some flowers with carpels, and other flowers with stamens, but no flowers with both (monoecious)
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet length
- 9–14 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives only a single year or less
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade width
- 25–120 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
Wetland status
Not classified
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
ssp.mays
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
Native to North America?
No
Family
Genus
Notes on subspecies and varieties in New England
Our subspecies is Zea mays L. ssp. mays.
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
1. Zea mays L. ssp. mays E
corn. CT, MA, ME, NH, VT; also reported for RI by George (1997), but specimens documenting naturalization are unknown. Fields, roadsides, areas of cultivation.