Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

Sweet corn is a mutation of field maize where a recessive gene causes kernels to retain sugar rather than converting it to starch, making it the sweet, tender vegetable harvested while still immature and milky. Towering stalks can reach 2 m tall, crowned by silky tassels that catch wind-borne pollen.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Zea
Species: Zea mays