Corn

Introduction & Top Questions
Domestication and history
Physical description
- Types of corn
- Genetically modified corn
Uses and products
- Food and nutrition
- Biofuel
- Industrial and other applications

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Close-up of two ears of corn (Zea mays) on the stalk, with green husks and long, pale silk strands at the top.

Rows of tall green corn plants with yellow tassels stretch into the distance in a Nebraska agricultural field.

Three popcorn balls topped with red, yellow, and green candies against a white background.

Dense rows of tall green corn plants in a genetically modified corn field, with tassels visible at the top against a pale sky.

Two ears of corn with husks and a wooden bowl filled with yellow corn grits on a wooden table.

At a Glance

corn summary

Quizzes

Ceviche. Peruvian ceviche (sebiche). Raw seafood dish with lime, cilantro, peppers, plantains. Cuisine, food

A World of Food Quiz

Slices of lemon pie topped with meringue.

Baking and Baked Goods Quiz

Chef tossing vegetables in a frying pan over a burner (skillet, food).

What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz

Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, some forming a question mark, against a light blue background. (organic, fruits, vegetables)

Fruit or Vegetable? A Quiz

Grains and spices in bags, India. (Indian, vendor, market, food)

Ultimate Foodie Quiz

Related Questions

How are corn kernels processed by wet milling?
How are corn leaves arranged on the stem?
How are corn stalks, husks, and cobs used in industry?
How are cornmeal and hominy made from corn kernels?
How can corn oil be turned into margarine?
How did corn differ from its wild relatives in the structure of its ears?
How did corn help support the Maya, Toltec, and Aztec empires?
How did corn reach Europe after contact between the Americas and Europe?
How did early farmers store corn and other crops in Mesoamerica?
How did irrigation, terracing, and chinampas increase corn production in Mesoamerica?
How do beans help corn and squash grow in a milpa field?
How do the female flowers of a corn plant develop into ears of corn?
How does corn support beans in the Three Sisters agricultural system?
How does fermentation turn corn starch into alcohol?
How does hybridization improve corn varieties?
How does squash benefit a field planted with corn and beans?
How does the Three Sisters farming system combine corn, beans, and squash?
How is corn oil extracted from corn kernels?
How is cornstarch turned into corn syrup?
How is dent corn different from flint corn?
How is high-fructose corn syrup used in processed foods?
How might early peoples have used corn stalks and leaves before kernels became important foods?
How old is the oldest recovered corn cob from Guilá Naquitz?
How tall can a corn plant grow?
How was land prepared for growing corn in ancient Mesoamerica?
How widely can corn be grown across the world’s latitudes?
What archaeological evidence shows that corn was grown in ancient Mexico?
What are corn husks and how do they protect an ear of corn?
When and where was corn first domesticated?
When did the Three Sisters farming system become established in North America?
Where are the male flowers found on a corn plant?
Which alcoholic drinks can be made by fermenting corn?
Why are colorful flint corn varieties used in autumn decorations?
Why are the origins of corn difficult for archaeologists to fully explain?
Why can diets based mostly on corn lead to pellagra?
Why does dent corn have a depression at the top of each kernel?
Why does domesticated corn depend on humans for cultivation?
Why does each row of paired spikelets usually produce two rows of corn kernels?
Why does sweet corn taste sweeter than other types of corn?
Why is corn oil used for salad dressings and frying?
Why is corn one of the world’s most important food crops?
Why is dent corn often grown for animal feed and food manufacturing?
Why is the Guilá Naquitz site important to the history of corn?
Why was corn important to the growth of settled villages in Mesoamerica?
What is corn?
Why do corn kernels pop?
How big do rice plants grow?
What nutrients are present in rice?
What is the nutritional composition of wheat?
What digestive disorder is associated with consuming wheat?
What is a tomatillo?
What is zucchini?
What are the physical characteristics and growth conditions of zucchini plants?
What are the nutritional benefits of zucchini?

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External Websites

Living History Farms - Crops - Corn
Government of Canada - Canadian Food Inspection Agency - The biology of Zea mays L. (maize)
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central- Physical and Genetic Structure of the Maize Genome Reflects its Complex Evolutionary History
Healthline - Corn 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Growing corn (PDF)
University of Wisconsin-Madison - Wisconsin Horticulture - Indian Corn
WebMD - Corn
North Dakota State University - Corn Growth and Management Quick Guide
Johns Hopkins Medicine - Health Benefits of Corn
Hamilton College - Academics - Corn (PDF)
Cleveland Clinic - 6 Health Benefits of Corn
Ohio State University - Ohioline - A Guide to Corn Growth and Development
Mississippi State University Extension Service - Corn Fertilization
South Dakota State University Extension - Corn Growth and Development
Pennsylvania State University - PlantVillage - Maize (corn)
North Carolina State University Extension - Corn plant

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

corn - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
corn - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Corn

plant

Also known as: Indian corn, Zea mays, maize

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 31, 2026 •History

Corn, (Zea mays), cereal plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and its edible grain. The domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used as human food, livestock feed, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry. Taxonomy See also list of plants in the family Poaceae. Corn was first domesticated by native peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Modern...

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