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It is not difficult to divide plants into cereals and vegetables, but the question of which family corn belongs to is still being discussed. This is due to the variety of uses of the plant.
Is corn a grain or not?
Some refer to corn as a vegetable or legume. The misconception arose due to the use of seeds of the culture as part of the main dishes along with vegetables. Starch is extracted from corn, which, in human terms, puts it on the same level as potatoes.
After long botanical studies, it was determined that corn belongs to cereal crops in all characteristics and structure. Together with wheat and rice, it occupies one of the first places among the cereal plants grown by people.
Photo of a corn plant in the ripening period:
Characteristics and structure of corn
Corn is an annual herbaceous cereal plant, which is the only representative of the genus Corn in the family Cereals and is significantly different in appearance from the rest of the members of its family.
In terms of nutritional properties, cereal occupies one of the first places among plant crops. Grain, due to the high content of proper carbohydrates, has a high nutritional value when fattening livestock and poultry: the leaves, stems and cobs of the plant are processed for consumption by animals, there are separate fodder varieties of the plant.
In cooking, the grain crop is highly valued, since many dishes can be prepared from its grain, from bread to desserts and drinks.
Corn kernels, stalks, cobs and leaves are widely used in industry. Oil, glucose, starch and other food materials are produced from cereals. From the stems of the plant, various technical materials are also obtained, such as plastic, paper, fuel for transport.
Corn is also famous as the most productive crop of the Cereal family. During the harvest season, the average yield is 35 centners of grain per hectare.
The root system of corn is powerful, fibrous, branched in different directions. It has fluffy identical whiskers, a long rod deepening into the ground up to 2 m and external roots that work as a mechanical support for resistance from the crop to the ground.
Grass stems are tall, reach a height of 1,5 – 4 m, depending on the variety and habitat. Inside, they are filled with a spongy substance that conducts water and essential nutrients from the soil well.
The leaves of the culture are long, wide, with a rough surface. Each plant has male and female inflorescences that develop in the axils of the leaves. The head of culture is a rod, from bottom to top along which paired spikelets are placed in regular rows. In the female spikelet there are two flowers, of which only one is fruitful – the upper one. Grains of culture can be of different sizes, shapes and colors, which distinguishes it from other cereals.
homeland of corn
The history of the origin of corn is connected with the American continent. Its homeland is considered to be Central and South America. During archaeological excavations in Peru, it was found that culture was intensively grown on these lands more than 5 thousand years ago. The first descriptions of corn as a plant were found near the caves of the Indian tribes. On the habitats of the Mayan peoples, the cobs of the plant were found: they differ significantly from modern ones in small size and small grains; the leaves cover the cobs themselves only by a third. These data allow us to conclude that the cultivation of culture began much earlier, according to some sources – about 10 thousand years ago. This is truly the oldest grain culture.
Today, on the American continent, cereal is of great importance and occupies the first place in the processing industry. Only 10% of raw materials go to food, and the rest goes to technical, chemical products and livestock feeding. In Brazil, they learned how to extract ethyl alcohol from cereals, and in America they learned how to make toothpaste and water filters.
How did corn get to Europe?
For the first time, corn was brought to Europe in 1494 by sailors led by Christopher Columbus, during their second voyage to America. Culture seemed to them an exotic ornamental plant. On the territory of Europe, it continued to be considered garden, and only a quarter of a century later it was recognized as a cereal.
The palatability of the plant was first appreciated in Portugal in the XNUMXth century, then in China. In the XNUMXth century, the most valuable nutritional properties of cereals were recognized in India and Turkey.
When did corn appear in Our Country
The culture came to the territory of Our Country in the XNUMXth century after the -Turkish war, as a result of which Bessarabia was annexed to the territories, where the cultivation of corn was widespread everywhere. The cultivation of cereals was adopted in the Kherson, Yekaterinoslav and Tauride provinces. Gradually, the plant began to be sown for silage to livestock. Received the development of manufacturing technology from grains of cereals, flour, starch.
Later, thanks to selection, the southern culture spread to the north of Our Country.
Interesting facts about corn
Several interesting facts are known about the unique plant:
- The height of corn usually reaches a maximum of 4 m. The tallest plant in Our Country, 5 m tall, was entered in the Book of Records;
- Alone, the culture develops poorly: it can give good yields when planted in groups;
- In the wild, corn is rare: its full development requires special care;
- The ear of culture has a pair of flowers, from which an even number of grains ripens;
- Due to the sweet taste, round shape and bright color of the grain, some peoples considered corn a berry;
- The first corn cobs found were about 5 cm long, and the grains were small, like millet;
- Modern corn is the third cereal crop in the world;
- The name “corn” is of Turkish origin and sounds like “kokoroz”, which means “high plant”. Over time, the word changed and came to us through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary: these countries until the XNUMXth century were under the control of the Ottoman Empire;
- In Romania, only the cob is called corn;
- Corn owes its scientific name, zea, to the Swedish physician and botanist K. Linnaeus: in Greek, it means “to live”;
- In Vietnam, carpets are woven from the plant, and in Transcarpathia, craftsmen make wickerwork: handbags, hats, napkins, and even shoes.
Conclusion
To which family does corn belong, scientists found out a long time ago: the plant is the oldest cereal. The culture, unique in its properties, is widely used not only in cooking, but also in various industries, medicine and animal husbandry.
