Zea mays Little Jewels - seed

'Little Jewels' Ornamental Maize, also known as Zea mays, is a tall annual grass that produces small ears of corn with variegated colours from summer to autumn. They can be cut or dried to create unique and beautiful small bouquets. Reaching 1.50m (5ft) high in one year, this plant thrives in sunlight, fertile soils, and water.

Zea mays gracillima is a tropical annual plant with running roots from the poaceae family. Native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, as well as southern Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Brazil, it was the staple food of the indigenous peoples before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. This plant grows rapidly, reaching 1.50m (5ft) high and 30cm (12in) wide in one season. It has a single, thick, woody stem composed of several 15-20cm (6-8in) internodes, with a single leaf per node. Each leaf is alternate on either side of the stem. The large lanceolate, arched and waxy, light green leaves measure up to 8cm (3in) wide and 80cm (32in) long, with parallel veins. In spring and early summer, male flowers and axillary female inflorescences of the same size appear, followed by small, colourful fruits, with a dominant strawberry red hue. The colour variation is due to the presence of plant pigments such as carotene (yellow, orange) and anthocyanins (blue, violet, red), which are present in varying degrees and layers in different seed tissues. All the grains are edible, regardless of their colour.

Ornamental Maize will fit well in the vegetable garden, of course. To dry the plant, cut it down, remove excess leaves and then hang it upside down in a cool and airy place. The ears are ready to be harvested when the leaves start to change colour. It is easy to sow in a greenhouse or directly in the ground, and can even be done by children.