Parts of a Corn Plant – Labeled Stalk, Ear and Cob

All 11 parts on the diagram

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The whole plant 8

Tassel The male flowers, at the top of the stalk. They shed pollen.
Stalk The thick main stem. It carries the leaves, the ear and the tassel.
Node A joint of the stalk. One leaf grows from each node.
Leaf Long and narrow. Leaves grow one at each node, on alternate sides.
Ear The female flower head, wrapped in husk. Its kernels grow here.
Silk Soft threads at the tip of the ear. Each leads to one kernel.
Brace roots Roots that grow from the lowest nodes above the ground.
Roots The roots under the soil. They take up water and nutrients.

The ear 3

Husk Leafy layers wrapped around the ear.
Kernels The seeds of the plant, set in rows around the cob.
Cob The hard core of the ear. The kernels grow on it.

How this list was compiled: Every name was checked on 2026-09-30 against sources read that day; a name is kept only when two of them use it. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Maize, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize (the leafy stalk; long narrow leaves arising from the nodes or joints, on alternate, opposite sides of the stalk; the tassel at the top of the stem, male flowers whose anthers release pollen; the female inflorescence, the ear, first seen as silk, one soft hair for each flower, each of which develops into a kernel; the ear or corncob wrapped in leafy layers called husks; kernels in rows around the cob) and Corncob, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corncob (the hard core of an ear, bearing the kernels). (2) Purdue University, Department of Agronomy, R. L. Nielsen, Corny News Network: Tassel Emergence and Pollen Shed, https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/Tassels.html ; Silk Development and Emergence in Corn, https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/Silks.html (each silk connects to one ovule, a potential kernel; silks emerge from the husk leaves; cob); Ear Size Determination in Corn, https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/EarSize.html (ear shoots form at stalk nodes, behind the leaf sheath; husk leaves); Root Development in Young Corn, https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/Roots.html (nodal roots; the sets that form at stalk nodes above the ground are commonly called brace roots; roots take up water and nutrients). (3) Kansas State University Research and Extension, Corn Growth and Development, MF3305, https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3305.pdf (tassel, silks, husks, kernels, nodal roots; brace roots develop at the lower nodes above the ground). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain curves; own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a corn plant are a stalk with a leaf at each node, a tassel at the top, one or more ears, and roots. The second drawing opens an ear to show its kernels and cob.

Read the full guide

Parts of a corn stalk

The stalk is the main stem. It is jointed: each joint is a node, and one long leaf grows from each node, first on one side and then on the other. The tassel stands at the top. Near the ground, brace roots slant from the lowest nodes into the soil.

Parts of a corn cob

An ear grows where a leaf meets the stalk, wrapped in husk. Peel the husk back and the kernels show, set in rows. Strictly, the cob is only the hard core the kernels grow on; the slice shows it.

The tassel is the male flower and the ear is the female flower. Both grow on the same plant.
Each thread of silk leads to one kernel.

Questions and answers

What are the main parts of a corn plant?

A jointed stalk, a long leaf at each node, a tassel at the top, an ear wrapped in husk with silk at its tip, brace roots at the foot of the stalk and more roots under the soil.

What is the silk on an ear of corn for?

Each thread of silk is joined to one young kernel. Pollen from a tassel lands on the silk, and that kernel can then grow. The silks push out past the tip of the husk.

What is the tassel on a corn plant?

The branched head at the top of the stalk. It holds the male flowers, which shed pollen. The wind carries the pollen to the silks.

What are brace roots?

Roots that grow from the lowest nodes of the stalk above the ground and slant down into the soil. They take up water and nutrients like the roots below ground.