A grain plant belonging to the grass family (Poaceae) that originated in Central America, where its ancestor teosinte was first domesticated, and that is now grown in most parts of the world. The cultivated plant grows up to 3 m tall, with leaves about 9 cm wide and up to 1.2 m long; the ears develop from wind-pollinated female flowers in the middle of the plant between the stem and the sheathing leaves.