PLANTS AND MAN 
Asia. Like other Old World grains, it has followed the 
European migration into the New World. 
Rice (Oryia sativa) : This important cereal is a native 
of the Far East, where it has been used from time imme¬ 
morial for the support of large populations. It was not 
known to the Greeks or the Romans. It probably was 
introduced into Europe by the Portuguese in the days of 
Vasco da Gama, and it is raised in Spain and Italy. 
In America it has been cultivated chiefly in Louisiana, 
around the delta of the Mississippi. 
Maize ( Z.ea mays) : Maize, popularly known in the 
United States as corn, is a 100 per cent American plant, 
native to the Western Hemisphere. It was cultivated by 
the Indians, and after the discovery of America it was 
quickly introduced into the Old World. In Europe it 
is widely known as Turkish wheat , and many persons 
therefore erroneously suppose it to be of Turkish origin. 
It appears that the first seed grains were sent from America 
in the year 1500 to Seville, in Spain. The plant is now 
cultivated throughout the warm temperate regions of 
Europe and Asia, its widespread diffusion being very 
rapid. At the time of the discovery of the Americas, maize 
was a staple food product throughout both continents. 
Its cultivation must have been of very ancient origin, 
for it has never been found growing in its wild state. 
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