Corn , scientifically live as Zea Crataegus laevigata , belong to the Poaceae family , ordinarily call the Gunter Grass class , which includes wheat , rice , and barley . It ’s sort under the subfamily Panicoideae and the kindred Andropogoneae , nearly related to sorghum and Saccharum officinarum . As an yearly liliopsid , it have a single semen folio and a fibrous root system . The genus Zea let in several wild species , but Zea mays is the only domesticated one , divided into subspecies and varieties base on kernel traits ( e.g. , Zea Crataegus oxycantha indentata for dent corn ) . Its reproductive structure — tassels ( male ) and capitulum ( female)—is unique among cereal , relying on idle words pollenation .

Indian corn originated in Mesoamerica , specifically Mexico , around 10,000 old age ago , tame from a violent grass called teosinte ( Zea Crataegus laevigata ssp . parviglumis ) . endemic peoples , in all probability the Olmec or early Mayan culture , selectively engender teosinte for prominent cob and gist , transform it into a staple craw by 5,000 BCE . By the time Columbus arrived in 1492 , corn had spread across the Americas , from Chile to Canada , with divers varieties adapted to local conditions . Europeans introduced it globally in the sixteenth century , and it became a vital nutrient source in Africa , Asia , and Europe , evolve further through crossbreeding and modern genetics .

Today , clavus is grown on every continent except Antarctica , with the United States , China , Brazil , and Argentina as top producers . In the U.S. , the Midwest “ Corn Belt ” dominates , yielding dent corn whisky for provender and industry . China cultivates it in the NE for intellectual nourishment and fodder , while Brazil focuses on both food grain and silage in its tropical climates . Africa grows divers types , like blanched maize in South Africa for mealie pap , and India produces it in monsoon - fed realm . Cultivation alter — irrigate landing field in desiccated geographical zone , rain - feast plots in the tropics , and mellow - altitude terraces in the Andes — bear by hybrids tailored to climate and soil .

Corn flourish in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 - 11 , though it ’s grown as an yearly , not a perennial , so zone reflect frost - free growing season rather than winter survival . Zones 4 - 8 ( for instance , U.S. Midwest ) suit spring found with 100 - 150 frost - destitute Clarence Day , while Zones 9 - 11 ( e.g. , tropics ) give up year - round cultivation with adequate water . Ideal temperatures stray from 60 ° F to 95 ° F ( 15 ° C-35 ° coulomb ) , with Zones 6 - 9 being optimum for most commercial varieties . Cold Zone 4 requires early - maturing hybrids , while red-hot Zone 11 demands heating system - tolerant air .

Types of Corn

Dent Corn ( Zea mays indentata )

Flint Corn ( Zea mays indurata )

Sweet Corn ( Zea mays saccharata )

Popcorn ( Zea Willie Howard Mays Jr. everta )

Indian Corn

Field Corn

Waxy Corn

Pod Corn ( Zea mays tunicata )

Blue Corn

mellow - Amylose Corn

Glass Gem Corn

Baby Corn

Bloody Butcher Corn

Hopi Blue Corn

Oaxacan Green Corn

Cherokee White Eagle Corn

Reid ’s Yellow Dent

Chalqueño Corn

Arikara Yellow Corn

Painted Mountain Corn

Maiz Morado ( Purple Corn )

Hickory King Corn

Tennessee Red Cob Corn

Strawberry Popcorn