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Being raised on a farm and gardening for many years, I have seen this more times than I can count. I just thought I would post this picture for those that may not have seen it. The ear is at the top of the plant where the tassle is supposed to be. I have seen some with both an ear and a tassle. These plants are usually short, and this one is especially short.



[img]https://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk129/freedhardwoods/Garden/StrangeCorn001.jpg[/img]

I have never seen anything like that. How odd!

I thought you were going to post a pic of ugly corn smut. I don't grow corn because of it.

Interesting little shrimp of a corn stalk.

Naemo, I thought the same thing, and I quit growing corn for the same reason. That's that black fungal thing, right? I found out, a year or two after I quit growing corn, that this is considered a delicacy in some cultures

COOL! We borrowed a picture book on Maize (the word "corn" translates to "primary grain crop") from the Childrens Books section of the Library when we started growing them, and that's where I learned that Corn is a "domesticated" plant, no longer able to grow without careful planting and cultivation by human hands. It said that the ancestor of modern corn plant used to grow a single seed stalk at the top of the plant like any other grain.

This phenomenon must be caused by genetic throwback to the ancestor plant. Thanks for the photo, I'll have to show my kids!

NaeMo wrote:I thought you were going to post a pic of ugly corn smut. I don't grow corn because of it.

I am curious. Why did you quit growing corn? Did it all have smut?

I always have a few ears that have it but I just bypass them. I will always grow sweet corn as long as I have a garden.

freedhardwoods wrote:I always have a few ears that have it but I just bypass them. I will always grow sweet corn as long as I have a garden.

I grew up in Iowa, life just couldn't be without Sweet Corn. Can't wait until next year, I'm gonna have some nice neat rows of corn. Well, whatever corn grows here atleast.

It wasn't *all* infected, but my corn patch was small enough that it affected more than I liked. I have a large family, real estate is at a premium. I am thinking about trying it in the back garden next year, though. Maybe I'll have better luck back there. My kids would love it.

The enlarged corn kernals with black smut are a delicacy in Mexico. They are sold in some street markets just like beans and other food staples. Smut is a fungus as are mushrooms. I've always wanted to try it, but would have no idea how to prepare it.

Ted

A bit about tassel-ear...

https://www.agry.purdue.edu/Ext/corn/news/timeless/TasselEars.html