Presumably a grass

What's this please? Today is the last day of the Harrogate Flower Show and they are selling off all the exhibits. Some friends very kindly bought me a present of two plants that looked tropical, which they knew I would like. I certainly do - but I have no idea what they are. The bag said that they came from www.hardys-plants.co.uk , so presumably they not quite as tropical as they look. I have looked on their website but unfortunately you can only see a plant if you already know its name.

The stem looks just like a ginger, but the seed head is of a grass. Any ideas please?

 

Looks a bit like Maize to me peter.

 

Pete that's really quick. I thought maize - but where is the head? But you must be right - I will have a Google.

 

The head is the male flowers on top, its like a form of sweet corn

 

Thanks Pete.

I have had a Google. You can see that I have never grown veg as I didn't know that Maize had separate male and female flowers. So my lower picture shows the male inflorescence.

I was told it was an annual and that I needed to collect the seed. But the seedy looking things are not seed, I presume. I think I have got one of those Chinese kits, where half the pieces are missing.

 

Never grown maize myself but the seed should form in the cobs lower down the stem.

I think its getting a bit late now though for them to ripen.

 

Yep, that's maize, but no sign of the girly bits which should be lower on the plant.

 

Think you got 2 different plants there Peter, one the maize and the smaller one looks like a form of Pennisetum, which is also an annual

 

Thanks Pete and Zigs. I have been Googling since and it certainly looks like Maize. I will ask my friends what sort of a stand it came from - is there such a thing as an ornamental Maize?

Bilbo - I think you are right. Pennisetum glaucum was the first thing to spring to mind with the smaller one. I had a quick look at the top. At first we all thought it had been broken off because it wasn't like the taller one, but closer inspection indicated that a head was developing like glaucum and not like the Maize. I have grown P. glaucum before, and although it had a good ornamental head it never produced any seed. It seems its not hot enough here to produce seed.

Both plants seem to be rather late. But maybe they were held back for the show.

 

T & M used to sell several varieties of Zea mays in the 'flower seed' section, but seem to have dropped them. The only one I could find through Google was 'Bloody Butcher'. You've got a rarity there, Peter! Perhaps you can get it to produce cobs in the conservatory?

 

Yes, 'Glass Gem' Sweetcorn:

 

I reckon its going to be one of those Maize varieties with cobs having oddly coloured corns

 

This is "choclo azteca" a kind of maize. Very lazy, by the way. Keep care with it.