CORN, Teosinte

Teosinte plants look very much like corn, only they are bushier, branched, and contain inconspicuous little spikes of seeds, rather than large cobs. The seeds themselves look like triangular little pebbles with a seam along some edges that appears fused together. Birds, including quail, chickens, turkeys, etc., readily eat up the seeds, but people can't really eat teosinte unless it's popped. But if properly matured and dried it can indeed pop just like popcorn! It's assumed that indigenous people in Mexico first discovered popped teosinte, and that began the millenia-long process of domestication that has led to such a wide diversity of corn today. (If you're interested in this process, there are still many unknowns, but what we do know is fascinating enough, and it involves phrases like ""catastrophic sexual transmutation"" and a cave in Tehuacán, Puebla state, where archaeologists found the oldest known corn, dating to some 7500 years ago.)

Our seed comes from our friends at Restoration Seeds in Oregon. This plant has some day-length sensitivity, so it might not mature in more northerly regions. Please let us know how it does for you!