. The grasses of Tennessee; including cereals and forage plants. Grasses; Forage plants; Grain. S40 CEEEALS. CHAPTER XXIII. INDIAN CORN—{Zea Mays:) Stem terminated by the clustered, slender spikes of staminate flowers (the tassel) in two-flowered spikelets; the pistillate flowers in a dense and many-rowed spike, borne on a short axillary branch; (the ear) two flowers within eaeh pair of glumes, but the lower one neutral, the upper pistillate with an extremely long style, (the silk.) Stem strong, jointed, five to fifteen feet high, with large, alternate leaves starting from each joint, mo- noec
. The grasses of Tennessee; including cereals and forage plants. Grasses; Forage plants; Grain. S40 CEEEALS. CHAPTER XXIII. INDIAN CORN—{Zea Mays:) Stem terminated by the clustered, slender spikes of staminate flowers (the tassel) in two-flowered spikelets; the pistillate flowers in a dense and many-rowed spike, borne on a short axillary branch; (the ear) two flowers within eaeh pair of glumes, but the lower one neutral, the upper pistillate with an extremely long style, (the silk.) Stem strong, jointed, five to fifteen feet high, with large, alternate leaves starting from each joint, mo- noecious and annual. Each plant bears from one to six or eight ears which are cylindrical, and enclosed with a covering of leaves called shucks or husks. The centre of the ear is pithy called cob, and on the cob are arranged rows of grain, numbering from eight to thirty-six; usually twelve to fourteen rows. The number of grains in a row is usually thirty to forty. These grains are rounded on the outer surface, flattened on the sides, and the germ is near the point, and from the germ a long, silk or style extends under the husk to the end where they all unite in a silky cluster. The pollen from the tassel falls upon these silks or flowers, thus fertilizing the grains. Without this pollen the seed would not ger- minate nor would the ear be completed, as may easily be tested by cutting off the tassel before the silk appears. On a bright day the pollen may be seen in the sunshine, rising. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Killebrew, J. B. (Joseph Buckner), 1831-1906. Nashville, The American co.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectf, booksubjectgrasses
