Subject: Help! Decorative Maize / Corn question

From: [email-masked] (Philip Armytage)
Date: Sun, 22 Sep 96 10:18:17 GMT

I've seen it in plenty of places, craft / homemaker shops etc

Corn cobs that have multi- coloured kernals on them.

Does anybody know anything about this kind of Maize?  I would like to try and 
grow some this summer (Australia).

Anything ! even just the correct name! Help!

Thankyou in advance,
Philip Armytage
[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (DGholston)
Date: 22 Sep 1996 18:10:35 -0400

>Does anybody know anything about this kind of Maize?  I >would like to
try and grow some this summer (Australia).

>Anything ! even just the correct name! Help!

The kind of maize you are asking about is called ornamental corn or Indian
corn in the U.S. It is also sometimes called ornamental popcorn since most
of these varieties are actually popcorns. Ornamental corn is available
>from  most vegetable seed firms in this country. I will list three sources
for you, but there are many others.

W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
300 Park Ave.
Warminster, PA 18974 USA

Geo. W, Park Seed Co.
Cokesbury Road
Greenwood, SC 29647 USA

Shepherd's Garden Seeds
30 Irene Street
Torrington, CT 06790 USA

Shepherd's has 4 different varieties of ornamental popcorns in multicolor,
red, pink and blue.

If I were you, I would check with Australian seed companies first to see
if any of them carry ornamental corn. Importing maize seed into Australia
could be a problem.

Don Gholston
California Rare Fruit Growers
http:.//www.crfg.org/

---

From: Sam Brungardt <[email-masked]>
Date: 25 Sep 1996 21:03:26 GMT

Many of the colored-kernel maize varieties are popcorns.  However, some of 
the "Indian" corn (maize) with multicolored kernels are of the flint type. 
 And, some of the colored-kernel maize is a flour type (such as some of 
the stains or varieties grown by the Navajo Indians in the southwestern 
United States.  At one time there were even commercial varieties of maize 
with colored kernels (one, now a heritage variety, was called Bloody 
Butcher).  Seed of all these types is still available.  If you can import 
maize seed into Australia and are interested in a certain type, perhaps I 
can help you or find someone else who can.