Zea is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family. The best-known species is Z. mays (variously called maize, corn, or Indian corn), one of the most important crops for human societies throughout much of the world. The four wild species are commonly known as teosintes and are native to Mesoamerica.

Teosinte is widely used as a forage crop for cattle in Mexico and the seeds may be fed to other livestock such as chickens and pigs. Teosinte is considered the mother of corn and therefore holds a very important place in indigenous culture and beliefs.

May 2, 2023 · What is teosinte? Teosinte is the name for a group of a group of wild grasses in the genus Zea that are native to Mexico and Central America. Teosintes include the species Zea diploperennis, Z.luxurians, Z.nicaraguensis, and Z. perennis.

Teosinte, any of four species of tall, stout grasses in the genus Zea of the family Poaceae. Teosintes are native to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Mexican teosinte is a warm-season annual grass closely related to modern-day maize (Zea mays L). There is genomic evidence that Zea mexicana may be one of the predecessors of Zea mays (Yang et al., 2017 & Kistler et al., 2020).

In this study, with more than 1000 genomes of maize and teosinte, including 338 newly sequenced traditional varieties, we revisited the evidence for admixture between maize and its wild relative Zea mays ssp. mexicana.

Feb 5, 2018 · Archaeologists, botanists, and geneticists generally agree that teosinte (Zea mays parvaglumis) is the wild ancestor to domesticated corn. Known as Teocintle, el grano de los dioses (grain of the gods), continues to grow wild throughout Mexico.

Nov 6, 2007 · We report new diagnostic criteria and question the accuracy of others used previously by investigators to identify ancient maize where its wild ancestor, teosinte, is native.

Aug 4, 2005 · A simple genetic change liberated the naked kernel from the protective casing that envelops it in the maize progenitor, teosinte. With the kernel exposed on the surface of the ear it was readily...

What is teosinte? Teosinte is a wild grass in the Poaceae family that includes the species Zea mays (in addition to other wild grass species: Z. diploperennis, Z. perennis, and Z. luxurians.). Z. mays encompasses several subspecies: ssp. huehuetenangensis, ssp. mexicana, ssp. parviglumis and others.