Flint Corn Seeds – Jaguar Priest

Description

Zea mays

This beautiful, purple-splashed, yellow flint/flour corn was bred from heirloom Mesoamerican varieties by corn breeder and seedkeeper Stephen Smith. Ears are five to seven inches long, with up to five ears per stalk. Strongly expresses its ancient ancestry with lots of tillers (side stalks), vigorous brace roots and heavy nitrogen-fixing gel production. Its speckled color pattern means it carries a high amount of genetic variation, and it will produce some reddish-orange kernelled variants in addition to the primary purple-speckled type.

Breeder Stephen Smith explains the story behind the name:  “The speckles reminded me of jaguar fur coat patterns. Jaguars were a sacred animal to the Mesoamerican peoples, and important mythological beings were usually portrayed as or associated with jaguars. The Rain Deities that were worshiped were specifically honored with corn, and these Rain Deities had priests that wore jaguar pelts or were said to take the form of jaguars. They performed the sacred rain ceremonies to nourish the crops (especially corn) and ensure a good harvest and season.”

These seeds should be direct seeded in a location with full sun and well-drained soil after all danger of frost has passed. Ears will mature in about 120 days.

¼ lb packet contains a minimum of 450 seeds.

SMALL FARM GROWN by El Alimento in Ancram, NY