Corn is a tall, annual cereal grass bearing grains or kernels. The genus of corn is Zea. It belongs to the family Graminae (Poaceae), better known as the grass family. The genus comprises of four species out of which corn (Zea mays) is one of them. Zea mays is common in the United States. Zea may Linnaesus is known as corn for the US and as maize for the rest of the world. Corn is the most important cash crop of the United States (60 percent of the world production) and goes through a complex process of cultivation, genetics, financing, marketing and distribution nationally as well as internationally.
The center of origin of the genus of corn is believed to be Mexico or Central America. It was known to be cultivated by the Indians in areas like New England upon the arrival of the first European colonists whose survival depended to a vast extent on the corn food.
The center of origin of the genus of corn is believed to be Mexico or Central America. It was known to be cultivated by the Indians in areas like New England upon the arrival of the first European colonists whose survival depended to a vast extent on the corn food.