Maïs vs Teosinte

Zea mays compared with Zea luxurians

Key Differences

• Maïs is Not Evaluated while Teosinte is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Maïs	Teosinte
Kingdom same	Plantae (plante)	Plantae (plante)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order same	Poales (Grasses)	Poales (Grasses)
Family same	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Poaceae (Grass Family)
Genus same	Zea	Zea
Species	Zea mays	Zea luxurians

Evolutionary Relationship

Maïs and Teosinte share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Zea.

Conservation Status

Maïs

NE — Not Evaluated

Teosinte

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Maïs	Teosinte
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Maïs

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (10 countries), Asia (4 countries), Europe (25 countries), North America (Canada, Costa Rica, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador).

Teosinte

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, and United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇺🇸 United States