maize

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• maize
• corn
• maize
• Indian corn
• Mandamin

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Thalysia mays

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is classified under the order Poales and the family Poaceae. Finally, it is identified by its genus, Zea.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific geographical presence across several regions of the European continent. In Northern Europe, its distribution can be observed within the borders of Great Britain and Ireland. Moving toward Middle Europe, the plant is also found throughout the country of Austria. Furthermore, its range extends into Belgium, which serves as another key location for its growth. Finally, the species is documented within the territories of Czechia-Slovakia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Zea mays is characterized by its presence in anthropogenic habitats (Área Antrópica), reflecting its long history of cultivation and human-mediated distribution. This species exhibits a broad environmental tolerance regarding vertical distribution, occupying an elevational range that begins at sea level (0 m AMSL) and extends up to a maximum of 3000 m AMSL. This wide altitudinal gradient allows the plant to adapt to diverse climatic conditions across various topographical landscapes, provided the human-altered environments meet its nutritional and developmental requirements.

Elevational range max:

3000 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Área Antrópica

Life history

The life history of Zea mays is characterized by an annual lifecycle, meaning the organism completes its entire developmental process—from germination to seed production and senescence—within a single growing season. In terms of its botanical life form, it is classified as a therophyte, a strategy where the plant survives unfavorable environmental conditions by persisting as a seed, ensuring that the vegetative structure does not need to endure extreme seasons. This therophytic nature is consistent across its morphological classification, as it functions as a seasonal producer that relies on rapid growth and efficient reproductive cycles to propagate before the onset of dormancy.

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Zea mays is characterized by a graminoid growth form, functioning as a non-woody herb. It is a terrestrial plant that grows independently, lacking any parasitic or epiphytic tendencies. As a self-supporting species, it does not exhibit climbing habits such as lianas or vines. The plant's stature varies significantly depending on environmental conditions, with heights ranging from a minimum of 1 m to a maximum of 5 m, though the mean plant height is approximately 2.13 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

graminoid

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

5 m

Plant height mean:

2.13333333333333 m

Plant height min:

1 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Zea mays is characterized by a highly efficient C4 photosynthetic pathway, which allows for superior carbon fixation and water-use efficiency compared to C3 plants. The plant exhibits a non-succulent morphology and is strictly non-carnivorous, relying on traditional nutrient uptake rather than insectivory or specialized water-storage tissues. It is not a nitrogen fixer, necessitating external nitrogen sources for optimal growth. The leaf architecture is substantial, with an average leaf size of 327.0275 cm² and a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 253.93 cm²/g, reflecting its strategy for light interception and biomass production. Individual leaves vary in dimension, featuring a minimum width of 2.5 cm and a maximum width of 12 cm, while the leaf length can reach a maximum of 100 cm.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf length max:

100 cm

Leaf size mean:

327.0275 cm²

Leaf width max:

12 cm

Leaf width min:

2.5 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C4

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

253.93 cm²/g

Succulence :

no

Reproduction

The reproduction of Zea mays is characterized by a sexual process, as asexual reproduction is entirely absent. The plant produces inflorescences in the form of a panicle, with lengths ranging from a minimum of 0.2 m to a maximum of 0.4 m. The flowering period typically commences in June and concludes in September. During this stage, the flowers are relatively small, measuring between 0.6 cm and 0.8 cm in length. The pollination syndrome is classified as abiotic, specifically utilizing wind as the primary mechanism for pollen transfer. Following successful pollination, the plant develops dry fruits that range in length from 0.6 cm to 2 cm. The resulting seeds exhibit a mean mass of approximately 0.252251111 g, with values varying between a minimum of 0.1533 g and a maximum of 0.4411 g. Furthermore, the seed volume is consistently recorded at 150 mm³. Regarding the movement of its offspring, the dispersal syndrome is identified as anthropochorous, meaning it relies on human intervention for distribution.

Dispersal syndrome :

anthropochorous

Flower length max:

0.8 cm

Flower length min:

0.6 cm

Flowering time :

Jun

Flowering time :

Sep

Fruit dryness :

dry

Fruit length max:

2 cm

Fruit length min:

0.6 cm

Inflorescence :

panicle

Inflorescence length max:

0.4 m

Inflorescence length min:

0.2 m

Pollination syndrome :

wind

Pollination syndrome :

abiotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Seed mass max:

0.4411 g

Seed mass mean:

0.252251111 g

Seed mass min:

0.1533 g

Seed volume max:

150 mm³

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Zea mays has 4 reported plant parts identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include root, leaf, stem, fruit.

Root

1. Chemistry & biodiversity
2. Fitoterapia
3. Natural product research

Leaf

1. Chemistry & biodiversity
2. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine

Stem

1. Chemistry & biodiversity
2. Archives of pharmacal research

Fruit

1. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine

Chemicals

Zea mays has 543 reported phytochemicals identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, STARCH, Aflatoxin, Anthocyanins, glucose.

Flavonoids

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Natural products and bioprospecting
3. Archives of pharmacal research
4. Microbiology spectrum
5. Heliyon

STARCH

1. Dr. Duke
2. The British journal of nutrition
3. The Biochemical journal
4. Food science & nutrition
5. The Journal of nutrition

Aflatoxin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Pest management science
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
4. Plant disease

Anthocyanins

1. Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB
2. Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Frontiers in plant science

glucose

1. Dr. Duke
2. Microbiological research
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
4. Microbial biotechnology

proline

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Microbiological research

sucrose

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

AFLATOXINS

1. Pest management science
2. Journal of AOAC International
3. Zentralblatt fur Mikrobiologie

G1

1. Journal of protein chemistry
2. Voprosy pitaniia
3. Zentralblatt fur Mikrobiologie

LIGNIN

1. Dr. Duke
2. Veterinary research communications
3. Analytical sciences : the international journal of the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry

Activities

Zea mays has 898 reported activities identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Neuroprotective, Anticancer, Diuretic, Hypolipidemic.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Chemistry & biodiversity
3. Food chemistry
4. International journal of biological macromolecules
5. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Neuroprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Chemistry & biodiversity
3. Archives of pharmacal research
4. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. AMB Express
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Diuretic

1. Dr. Duke
2. International journal of biological macromolecules
3. Die Pharmazie

Hypolipidemic

1. Dr. Duke
2. International journal of biological macromolecules
3. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands)

Antiadhesive

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. AMB Express

Antidepressant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology

Antidiabetic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Antihypertensive

1. Dr. Duke
2. Microbiology spectrum

Conditions

Zea mays has 54 reported investigations on conditions identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include oxidative stress, salt stress, abiotic stress, antioxidant, blood pressure.

Oxidative stress

1. International journal of phytoremediation
2. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
3. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands)

Salt stress

1. Plant molecular biology
2. Izvestiia Akademii nauk. Seriia biologicheskaia
3. Chemosphere

Abiotic stress

1. Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology
2. Bio-protocol

Antioxidant

1. Food chemistry
2. Food science & nutrition

Blood pressure

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Microbiology spectrum

Cold

1. PloS one
2. Frontiers in plant science

Drought

1. PloS one
2. Frontiers in plant science

Glycation

1. Analytical sciences : the international journal of the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry
2. Journal of natural products

Hypertension

1. Current pharmaceutical design
2. Microbiology spectrum

Inflammation

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Preparations

Zea mays has 10 reported preparations identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include aqueous extracts, ethanol husk extract, ethyl acetate fraction, fractions, herbal teas.

Aqueous extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Ethanol husk extract

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Ethyl acetate fraction

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Fractions

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Herbal teas

1. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology

Infusion

1. Progres en urologie : journal de l'Association francaise d'urologie et de la Societe francaise d'urologie

Roots

1. Fitoterapia

Stalk

1. Saudi journal of biological sciences

Water extract

1. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin

Water extracts

1. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek