Coconuts and corn

[Marty Sachs]

In article <37B3F0DF.EF1018F7 at worldnet.att.net>, Steve Hinkson
<sphinkson at worldnet.att.net> wrote:

> Yes john, you're right.  The corn you eat off the cob is also a seed that is
> eaten unripe.  The sweetness is in the liquid endosperm, just as in a
> coconut.  When corn's ripe, it's starchy.

Actually, 'the corn you eat off the cob' is usually a mutant that has a
defect in starch synthesis.  In one such mutant (sh2 - used in the
super-sweet varieties), the kernels remain sweet even after they mature
and dry down (giving the shrunken kernel phenotype).

   -Marty Sachs