INDIAN CORN.
Synonymes.
| Zea mays, | Of Botanists. | |
| Maize, Indian Corn, | Britain and Anglo-America. | |
| Maïs, Blé d’Indie, Blé de Turquie, | France | |
| Maiz, Trigo de Indias, | Spain. | |
| Grano d’India, Grano Turco, | Italy. | |
| Grano Siciliano, | ||
| Maiz, Milho da India, | Portugal and Brazil. | |
| Milho grande, | ||
| Mais, Türkischer Korn, | Germany. | |
| Mays, Turksch Koorn, | Holland. | |
| Turkish Hvede, | Sweeden and Denmark. | |
| Tureskoichljeb, | Russia. |
Derivations.—The generic name Zea is derived from the Greek zao, to live, from the nutritive qualities of this, or some other kind of corn formerly cultivated in Greece or on the adjacent Archipelago. The word mays, and all its derivatives, according to Clavigero, have been derived from the denomination of this vegetable in the Haitina language, or that of Hispaniola; but by others, it is thought to come from the Lettish and Livonic mayse, which signifies bread in those languages. The European names Blé d’Indie, Trigo de Indias, etc., have been so called on account of this grain having first been brought by Columbus from America, which was known at that time by the name of the “Indies;” and those names signifying “Turkish Corn,” took their origin from the circumstance that the cultivation of this plant spread from Turkey to the neighbouring countries, and consequently led some writers to believe that it first came from the East.
Description.
The fruitful maize, in verdant vistas rear’d,
Its spire majestic, to the playful breeze,
Spreading its loosely-waving panicles, while low
The purple anthers bending o’er to kiss
The silken, tassel’d styles, delight the eye
Of watchful Ceres.Traits of the Aborigines.
Maize, or Indian Corn, consists of several varieties which are thought to owe their distinctive characters to the accidental modifications of climate, soil, and
