86 



MAIZE 



CHAP, flowers are usually borne by themselves in the terminal inflores- 

 cence called the tassel (Fig. 28). The pistillate or female 

 flowers are usually borne on one or more lateral inflorescences 

 (Fig. 1 2D) called ears, at the ends of short branches arising 

 from the nodes of the stem ; the young ear is characterized by 

 its long beard-like styles called silks (Figs. 29, 30, 31, and 32). 

 Moncecism is not always complete, i.e. the separation of male 

 and female flowers into different inflorescences on different 



Fig. 30. — Young ears showing silks at different stages of development. 



parts of the same plant is not constant ; bisexual tassels are 

 frequently met with on sucker-shoots (in the dent breeds at 

 least) (Figs. 33 and 34); in some cases also, the tassel of the 

 main stem bears the two kinds of flowers (Fig. 35); this is 

 said to be especially the case in pod maize, a breed rarely seen 

 in South Africa. Bisexual ears are occasionally, though 

 rarely, met with (Figs. 36 and 37). Where mixed inflorescences 

 occur, stamens and pistils may be found in the same spikelet, 



