- The tassel is the male flower of a corn plant. The tassel is made up of multiple stamen that are attached to the tassel. The stamens produce pollen, which in the case of corn is very small and light. Wind then loosens and transports the pollen to a receptive ear.
- The female flower is the ear, which has bundles of silk extending beyond the husks. The silk is covered in a sticky sap, which catch the pollen shed from the tassels of nearby plants. Once the silk of the ear comes into contact with pollen, it turns brown and dry, signifying successful pollination.
- Corn plants have male and female flowers because of thousands of years of selective breeding by humans. Domesticated corn's ancestor---teosinte---is a tall grass native to Central and South America. In nature, grasses have the male and female parts of the flower close together on the inflorescence. Over time, humans selectively bred the plant, lengthening the inflorescence, separating the tassel and ear.
- Separating the male and female flowers limits self pollination and increases the occurrence of wind driven cross-pollination (hybridization). Hybridization creates genetic diversity.
- Most varieties of domesticated hybrid corn have separate male and female flowers. However, in some cases, corn plants develop tassel-ears, a combination of the tassel and ear. This happens when corn plants are stunted in growth or when plants develop "suckers" from the base. Tassel-ears are the natural way for grains to grow and are common in all types of wild grain.
