Maize Species

Species Differentiation

• Maize species are differentiated by kernel shape, number, color and size. Maize is cultivated for direct human consumption, cattle feed, flour, food additives and decorative use. Maize kernels are either flint or dent. Flint maize features round kernels, while dent maize kernels look like human teeth. Kernel colors include white, yellow, orange and red, with many variations possible among the differing species. The United States produces more maize than any other country in the world today.

Dent Varieties

• Dent maize gets its name from its toothy shape and the tendency of its kernels to collapse into indentations as they dry. Most dent varieties grown in the United States feature yellow kernels -- and are used for cattle feed. Some, however, are used for food additives designed for human consumption. Dent maize produces a white starch prized for its use in certain foods.

Flints

• Flint maize has a thick, hard outer shell that covers a soft, granular center. Flint kernels are characteristically smooth and rounded. Flint produces fewer rows of kernels than dent maize but it matures earlier when grown in warmer climates. Typically found in South and Central America, along with Southern Europe, flint maize is used for both animal feed and human consumption.

Flour Maize

• Maize species destined for use in flour feature soft, opaque kernels containing an abundance of starch within. As the kernels dry, they shrink at a steady rate and escape the collapsed appearance characteristic in dent maize. The flour maizes do best in high, dry latitudes such as the fields found in the Andean region of South America. Kernels left on the cob in damper regions tend to mold easily. As the species name suggests, flour maize produces kernels easily ground to produce corn flour.

Sweet Corn, Popcorn and Ornamentals

• Sweet corn is a variety of maize grown for immediate human consumption or picked for canning or freezing before the sugar content is converted into less palatable starch. Popcorn is small-kerneled flints with pointed or pearl-shaped kernels that contain a minimum of starch housed by a hard, outer shell. Ornamental, or Indian corn, may be dent, pop, floury, sweet or flint varieties, especially prized for their coloration. The kernels are either a solid, dark red color or multicolored in variegated patterns. These are the maizes commonly featured in American and Canadian Thanksgiving centerpieces.