Spot 'tassel ears' on sweetcorn

12th August 2022

Something unusual in sweetcorn, but not really uncommon where maize is a farm crop, is 'tassel ear': this is where instead of producing any cobs from the sides of the stem, a small cob appears among the tassels at the top of the plant. It's unexpected, because Zea mays is one of the easiest examples for students of a monoecious plant - one where male and female flowers are separate. So how does it produce a 'hermaphrodite' flower with ovaries to produce an ear as well as male pollen tassels?