Painted Moutain Corn: A Legacy of Indigenous Agriculture

Описание: In honour of Native American Heritage Month 2025, learn about the beautiful Painted Mountain Corn (Zea mays) with me, Dr. Katia Hougaard.

Pleaes note that Painted Mountain Corn is NOT a historical indigenous heritage variety, but it was developed from extensive hybridisation of indigenous North American corn varieties with varieties bred by Euro-American colonisers in the 1970s. According to maize expert Stephen Smith (  / maizemagician  , Painted Mountain Corn has ancestry from traditional corn varieties bred by the Mandan and Osage indigenous people, and this variety resembles Mandan Bride Corn.

The hybridisation produced a corn variety with the vivid, diverse colours, a shorter life cycle than many traditional varieties, and short stature so more of the plant's resources are diverted to reproduction. The short stature is also useful in environment with high wind, such as as the southern UK where I live. Some sources describe this corn as a flint corn (Z. mays var. indurata) while others classify it as a flour corn (Z. mays var. amylaceae).

In future videos, I will show you the corn silks, corn cobs, and harvest time. This video was filmed in June 2025 when the corn plants were transitioning from vegetative growth to the reproductive phase of their life cycle.

Music by Derek and Brandon Fiechter

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