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Teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis)
Plant Family
Gramineae or Poaceae
Binomial Name
Zea mays ssp. parviglumis
Common (Vernacular) Names
Ancestral corn, ancestral maize, corn of the gods, grain of the gods, father corn, mazillo, sacred corn, teosinte, teosintile and wild maize. Teosintli means scared corn in the Nahuatl (Aztec) language.
Plant Characteristics
Endemicity. Native to Central America and considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domesticated corn. It is widely distributed in Mexico.
Growth Habit. Similar to domestic corn except that it has side shoots (tillers) and branches resulting in a more bushy form. Aerial roots are produced on the stalks and these are the sites of nitrogen fixation.
Flowers. Produces many small tassels and ears (spikelets) with a single row of seeds.
Seeds. Each spikelet has 4-12 kernels.
Uses
Plant Breeding. As wild relatives of domesticated corn, the teosintes, may harbor traits that may be useful to breeding new cultivars of corn. The needs for nitrogen fixing cultivars of domestic corn to reduce the use of artificial fertilizers, and adaptation of crops to climate change has motivated an increasing interest in the potential value of novel traits from wild species. Teosinte grows in a variety of ecological conditions from hot and humid regions to temperate and dry valleys suggesting that it may have traits for adaptation to climate change. Modern corns cross readily with teosintes. Their hybrids are vigorous and grassy, growing to 12 ft tall and bearing up to 200 tiny ears per plant (Brewbaker 2003).
Intercropping. Indigenous farmers in south-central Mexico may plant Teosinte or allow it to grow with their corn plantings in the belief that it will improve the vigor and productivity of the corn.
Sugar Source. The sweet stalks and immature spikelets contained sugars and may be chewed. They also were cooked and processed into a mash that was fermented and used to make pulque, a beverage consumed during various rituals by Pre-Columbian peoples.
Soil Improvement. Because it fixes nitrogen teosinte may improve soil fertility.
Feed for Livestock and Wildlife. The dry seeds are used as a feed for poultry and pigs and are attractive to game birds and other wildlife.
Cultivation
Teosinte is now grown world wide as a fodder crop.
Invasiveness Potential
Teosinte has become invasive and has been reported as a noxious weed in maize fields in Spain, France and Mexico. Refer to the references by Sánchez González et al. (2018) and Le Corre et al. (2020) for detailed information on this topic.
Teosinte in Hawai`i
Teosintes grow vigorously in Hawaii and carry resistance to some of the major corn diseases found here (Brewbaker 2003).
Plants and Seeds for Sale
Availability
Teosinte seeds grown in Florida are available from our ONLINE STORE.
Shipping
Teosinte seeds can be shipped to all states after inspection by the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture. They may also be shipped internationally. Customers may be required to have an import permit and a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
References
Brewbaker JL. 2003. Corn Production in the Tropics. The Hawaii Experience. Manoa, Hawaii: College of Tropical Agriculture and Soil Sciences, University of Hawaii. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/corn2003.pdf [Accessed November 3, 2022]
Daley J. 2018. This rare variety of corn has evolved a way to make it own nitrogen, which could revolutionize farming. Smithsonian Magazine. August 10, 2018. [Accessed November 3, 2022].
Glorioso Products (GP). 2021. Personal communication.
Hamilton E. 2018. Corn that acquires its own nitrogen identified, reducing need for fertilizer. University of Wisconsin Madison News. August 7, 2018. [Accessed November 4, 2022].
Le Corre, V., Siol, M., Vigouroux, Y., Tenaillon, M. I., & Délye, C. (2020). Adaptive introgression from maize has facilitated the establishment of teosinte as a noxious weed in Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(41), 25618–25627. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006633117
Sánchez González, J. J., Ruiz Corral, J. A., García, G. M., Ojeda, G. R., Larios, L. C., Holland, J. B., Medrano, R. M., & García Romero, G. E. (2018). Ecogeography of teosinte. PloS one, 13(2), e0192676. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192676
Van Deynze A, Zamora P, Delaux P-M, Heitmann C, Jayaraman D, Rajasekar S, et al. 2018. Nitrogen fixation in a landrace of maize is supported by a mucilage-associated diazotrophic microbiota. PLoS Biol 16(8): e2006352. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2006352 [Accessed November 4, 2022].
Page last updated 03 November 2022.