Few people know that colorful corn grows in nature. People are accustomed to the traditional colors of cobs: yellow, orange. Interest in this colorful crop is moderate, but there is a growing trend. Exotic plants attract gardeners much more with their originality.
Description
Colored corn comes from Oklahoma in the USA. The Indians, the indigenous inhabitants of this region, have long grown this crop for food and livestock feed. The owner of one of the farms in Oklahoma, Carl Burns, was one of the first to grow colorful cobs. The type of corn that the Americans developed is called flint or Indian, and in Latin - Zea Mays indurate.It appears under another name: Glass Gem.
The grains are round in shape with a convex top; they are characterized by a smooth, glossy structure. The color of the grains in one cob is different:
- white;
- orange;
- yellow;
- black;
- brown.
In seeds, most of the endosperm is hard, in the middle part it is loose and mealy. Multi-colored maize has a high content of hard starch. The Americans called the grain crop maize; the name came from the ancient Mayans.
The Glass Gem species has high productivity, endurance, and a high ripening rate. This type of grain crop is produced all over the world, but it is most widespread on the American continent. In the USA, Glass Gem is cultivated in the northern states.
Varieties
The purpose of growing colorful types of maize is grain. It is used to produce cereals and flakes. Unripe seeds (milk ripeness) can be eaten; they are quite tasty and sweet. Maize, which may be of interest to summer residents:
- North America.
- South America.
- Magic kaleidoscope.
- Pink Glow.
- Nacre.
In North America cobs, the color of the grains is lilac-chocolate, the stem reaches a height of 1.8 m. South America grows up to 2.5 m in height, forms cobs up to 22 cm long, the color of the grains is variegated.
Magic kaleidoscope - a decorative type of corn. The stems grow up to 1.8 m. The cobs are formed with multi-colored grains; one can form grains from white to black. Ornamental corn is propagated through seedlings. It is transplanted into open ground in May, observing a step of 40 cm.
Pink Radiance is a super early variety that ripens in 60 days. The height of the stems is around 1.2 m.The shape of the cobs is pyramidal, their maximum length does not exceed 15 cm. The color of the seeds is pink-lilac, the taste is sweet. They are consumed boiled. The yield of the variety is good.
Pearl corn ripens in an average time, about 100 days from planting. The height of corn stalks reaches 2.2 m. During the growing season, the plant forms rounded-pyramidal ears, reaching a length of 14 cm. The grain is lilac-white, rounded-elongated, pearlescent. They are eaten boiled at the stage of milky ripeness; the ripened seeds are used as raw materials for the production of cereals.
Conclusion
flint corn - the most common species, growing in different parts of the world. Varieties of this species are grown for grain; almost all of them are early ripening.
Seed composition:
- starch from 65 to 83%;
- protein 18%;
- fat from 3 to 7%.
The composition of varieties of multi-colored corn is suitable for the production of popcorn. Most varieties are used to produce flour, cereals, and are used as animal feed.
