What is this growth on my maize?
I did not notice it until now.
Almost certainly a mushroom.
Looks weird, thoug.
After taking the picture, I chopped down the maize.
Also, here is a picture of a butterfly.
I did not notice it until now.
Almost certainly a mushroom.
Looks weird, thoug.
After taking the picture, I chopped down the maize.
Also, here is a picture of a butterfly.
Ich tippe auf Maisbeulenbrand / Corn Smut.
It tastes good in tacos or other Mexican dishes.
Awesome you found Cuitlacoche aka corn smut or Ustilago maydis. This is considered a delicacy in Mexico. I've always wanted to try it fresh but here I can only buy it canned. The specimen you pictured is probably too old to eat but if you find any in more of a fresh state you can just pan fry it with spices and put it in a taco or burrito.
Oh wow!
I will grow maize next year, again.
I will also post a hive maize challenge with prize money and everything btw.
Next season, I will observe my maize a little better :)
Here the farmers throw the corn smut away but if they knew there was a market for fresh corn smut in Mexican food they could easily sell it at the farmers market. The trick would be to set aside an area of corn and overwater the husks to promote the growth of the fungi. Usually this grows when there is too much rain, humidity and heat when the corn is developing in the husk.
Not sure which husk you mean. I am in Germany btw and the maize must have brought this fungus with it over from the Americas. Or its spores made it here by themselves? Quite interesting, actually...
This was on the stem and does not seem to have affected the ears, at all.
I had a normal harvest from the plant and noticed the fungus only later.
I have no water supply in the garden, so I can only hope for rain, anyways :)
If I get a lot of it, I know what to look for, now.
Yeah the fungus usually grows on the ear of the corn underneath the husk (leaves). But it will also eat just the fiberous stock too. I have no idea how the spores got there, perhaps they are all over the place in the atmosphere and randomly land on the preferable growing place.
We had that at the mushroom association last year and I took some home and ate it. It was interesting to know it was an edible fungi.
I had some more growing this year, but it looked rotten, so I never tried.
That's weird stuff indeed but the butterfly is beautiful as it gets.
So I took another look at my own picture and now on the big screen, I noticed there is also a bee in the picture :)
Yay! haha.
This is the first time am seeing mushroom on the maize. It's a weird indeed. And what a great capture, the butterfly looks great on the flower.
Thanks! I was quite happy about the shot :)
Do have a nice day
I have seen such thing on my maize also but I never count it as anything. The look piss me off so I just throw it away when I have other maize. @felixxx
Well, I just learned that it is edible in its early stages, before it releases spores.
Really?? Well I have been able to learn something. Thanks so much @felixxx
If it looks like a fungus but it is very strange where it is located and outside the plant. Beautiful the butterfly friend great its colors.
Interessant. Hab ich noch nie gehört und hätte es wohl pauschal weg geschmissen.
Sieht gefährlich aus ^^ Der Schmetterling ist mir da lieber.
Du warst doch schonmal hier? keys verloren?
amigo que raro ese hongo, mi esposo tambien ha sembrado maiz y han aparecido cosas raras pero dentro del maiz como gusanos y algun hongo pero ese es bien raro, le dire que la foto de las flores con la mariposa demasiado linda, un tiempo lo estuve siguiendo pa usted pero me habia olvidado de hive por no tener telefono para las fotos aunque no tengo todavia pero me prestan para publicar algo, saludos amigo ,le dejo mi voto y comentario