Zea nicaraguensis
| Zea nicaraguensis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Panicoideae |
| Tribe: | Andropogoneae |
| Genus: | Zea |
| Species: | Z. nicaraguensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Zea nicaraguensis H.H.Iltis and B.F. Benz 2000 | |
Zea nicaraguensis is a true grass species in the genus Zea.
Z. nicaraguensis is considered to be phenotypically the most distinctive, as well as the most threatened teosinte. This teosinte thrives in flooded conditions along 200 meters of a coastal estuarine river in northwest Nicaragua. Virtually all populations of teosinte are either threatened or endangered: Zea nicaraguensis survives as approx. 6000 plants in an area 200 x 150 meters. The Mexican and Nicaraguan governments have taken action in recent years to protect wild teosinte populations, using both in-situ and ex-situ conservation methods. There is currently a large amount of scientific interest in conferring beneficial teosinte traits, such as insect resistance, perennialism and flood tolerance, to cultivated maize lines, although this is very difficult due to linked deleterious teosinte traits.
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Wikispecies has information related to: Zea nicaraguensis |