Teosinte

Teosinte is a wild grass native to Central America and Mexico, considered the ancestor of modern maize (corn). It looks like small, slender stalks with hard, ear-shaped seed clusters, unlike the large, productive corn plants we know today. Through thousands of years of selective cultivation by farmers, teosinte was bred into the larger, more productive maize we consume. Scientists study teosinte to understand maize's evolution and improve crop traits like yield and disease resistance. Despite its primitive appearance, teosinte plays a crucial role in the development of one of the world's most important staple foods.