teosinte.lhws.net
| HISTORY | ARCHIVES |
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Teosinte is the ancestor of maize, also known as corn in places like Nebraska (The Cornhusker State). I borrowed this
image of teosinte tassles from the website
http://hila.webcentre.ca/research/teosinte/. The corn we
grow today was domesticated from teosinte (Zea mays) at least 5000 to perhaps 9000 years ago in central Mexico.
Although teosinte still grows wild, corn cannot propagate itself without human intervention.
You can buy teosinte seeds from Native Seeds. Last time I checked they had a variety of Northern Tepehuan Maizillo-Annual Teosinte. Zea mays ssp. mexicana. Found in Nabogame, southern Chihuahua, where the plants begin to flower in September. Native farmers say growing this near cultivated corn makes their crops "stronger". Native wild stands are prolific producers of seed. Plants tend to tiller more in the northern United States. Green stems are chewed for the sweet juices. The sad fact is that I don't yet know how to grow teosinte. But I will try to cultivate it here in Newberry Springs and will report back on this website with photos and results. |
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