Imagine walking through your yard and noticing that you have small plants that appear to be corn sprouting up in areas where there is no corn planted. Or maybe you did not even plant corn in your garden, but you still have corn-like stalks shooting up in seemingly random places. While this might seem strange, many different plants look like corn!
Corn is a popular crop grown around the world for food, animal feed, and fuel production. Its distinct structure, with tall green stalks topped by golden ears, makes it easily recognizable. However, there are several plant species that bear a surprising resemblance to corn in gardens and agricultural fields. Properly identifying lookalike plants is key for both farmers and gardeners.
This article will explore common plants that mimic the visual appearance of corn, how to differentiate them, and their significance for ornamental horticulture and agriculture.
Why Identification Matters
At first glance, distinguishing lookalike plants from actual corn may seem trivial. However, misidentification can have real consequences in terms of crop management, ecosystem balance, and horticultural design
For farmers, inadvertently allowing corn relatives or mimics to grow amongst a corn crop could negatively impact yields. These plants may have different nutrient needs, maturation rates, or attract pests. Stopping cross-contamination is crucial for seed purity and harvest optimization.
For gardeners, proper ID is key to avoid planting invasive or fast-spreading lookalikes when a showy, corn-like ornamental is desired Reliably differentiating between plants preserves local plant communities
Common Lookalikes
Many plants share visual similarities with corn due to adaptations like grassy leaves, vertical orientation, or tall heights. Here are 5 of the most common corn lookalikes:
Johnson Grass
This invasive grass weed is a major pest for corn farmers. Its smooth, stout stems and long, flat leaves resemble young corn plants, making identification tricky. Reddish stem nodes and yellow blooms distinguish it from corn.
Grain Sorghum
Also known as milo, this cereal crop looks almost identical to corn during early stages of growth. It has wider leaf blades and more branching than corn. Special care must be taken to keep seed stocks pure.
Giant Reed
This bamboo-like grass has towering, corn-like stems reaching 10-20 feet tall. Gardeners love it for the tropical look, but its aggressive spreading makes it a problematic invasive species in some areas.
Corn Plant
This popular and beautiful houseplant (Dracaena fragrans) mimics the appearance of a corn stalk. Its arching leaves and yellow central stripe evoke corn, but it’s definitively a tropical indoor plant.
Pampas Grass
The tall, fluffy plumes on this large grass create a resemblance to corn tassels. However, its clumping growth habit and linear leaves make it distinctly different from corn.
Techniques for Identification
Looking closely at a few key characteristics makes telling corn apart from lookalikes straightforward:
-
Leaves – Corn has wide, supple leaves that wrap around stems. Mimics often have thinner, stiffer leaves.
-
Stems – Corn stems are hollow and pale green. Lookalikes may have colored or solid stems.
-
Ears & Tassels – Corn’s male tassels and female ears are entirely unique structures.
-
Roots – Corn has fibrous, shallow roots. Mimics may have rhizomes or thicker taproots.
-
Flowers – Many grassy lookalikes produce showy blooms unlike corn.
Why It Matters
While they may resemble corn, lookalike plants have vastly different attributes and uses. Understanding why properly ID’ing them is so important sheds light on their uniqueness:
Ornamental Uses
Corn hold little ornamental value, but mimics like Giant Reed and Pampas Grass provide exotic visual interest in gardens. Their showy plumes and bold shapes allow designers to mimic corn’s verticality without the need for proper corn growing conditions.
Agricultural Considerations
Inadvertently allowing Johnson Grass or Grain Sorghum to grow amongst corn can facilitate breeding and cross-contamination. This reduces crop purity and yields. Proper identification allows farmers to strategically rotate crops and maintain healthy, productive fields.
Ecosystem Stability
Misidentification enables invasive plants like Giant Reed to spread unchecked in new areas. Identifying and removing these aggressive colonizers helps protect native plant communities and prevents environmental degradation.
A number of unique plants visually resemble corn in gardens and agricultural settings. While they may seem similar at first glance, subtle differences in leaves, stems, roots, and flowers enable reliable differentiation between lookalikes and actual corn. Proper identification matters greatly for ornamental horticulture applications, farming, and sustaining diverse plant ecosystems. When in doubt, take a closer look and consider the plant’s unique characteristics and growth habits. With a bit of practice, telling corn apart from its many mimics becomes easy.
Outdoor Plants That Resemble Corn
There are only a few indoor plants that look like corn, but outdoors is another story! Have you ever wondered where the bristles of your favorite broom come from? The answer is from a plant called broomcorn. Although the plant does not produce leaves that look like corn, the bulk of this plant looks like corn tassels!
Additionally, there is the grain sorghum, which looks like a corn stalk but is much shorter. The top of the plant, called a head, can be yellow, red, or even a striking bronze color.
Millet is also a grain-like plant whose leaves resemble those of a corn plant. If you did not plant millet but find it growing in your yard, it likely comes from seed falling from your bird feeder!
House Plants That Resemble Corn
One of the most well-known plants that resemble corn stalk is the Dracaena fragrans massangeana, or more simply, the corn plant.
The Dracaena plant does not produce an actual stalk of corn, nor does it tassel or produce ears. Instead, the leaves look like the leaves of a healthy corn stalk. The plant itself has one thick stem that resembles a tree branch. The leaves typically grow at the top of the stem.
Corn plants are easy to grow and exceptionally hardy, only requiring regular watering and indirect sunlight to thrive.
Tip: Although people plant this variety to enjoy the bright green foliage, you may even get an occasional bloom!
7 Corn Growing Mistakes to Avoid
FAQ
What plant looks similar to corn?
A grain sorghum plant looks a lot like a corn plant but is shorter and more colorful.
What plant looks like a corn plant?
Common Name(s): Corn Plant. Cornstalk Plant. Dracaena.
How to tell the difference between corn and sorghum?
Sorghum has a sawtooth or serrated leaf edge that is ‘scratchy’ if you run your finger along the edge. If not visible with the natural eye, a simple magnifying glass will reveal the edges. This is true of each leaf on a sorghum plant vs. corn plant, regardless of the age of the leaf or when it was developed.
Are there weeds that look like corn?
Shattercane resembles grain sorghum and corn. It is a coarse grass that usually grows in tufts and reaches almost 7 feet (2m) tall.
What plant looks like corn?
When we think of a plant that looks similar to corn, we get the plant named “Dracaena fragrans massangeana”. It appears as a corn stalk but it is not that. Like corn, Dracaena has no tassel or ears. Still, the leaves of this plant have the same appearance as corn torsi. The unique grain contains a thick stem that looks like a branch of a corn tree.
Does broomcorn look like corn?
The answer is from a plant called broomcorn. Although the plant does not produce leaves that look like corn, the bulk of this plant looks like corn tassels! Additionally, there is the grain sorghum, which looks like a corn stalk but is much shorter. The top of the plant, called a head, can be yellow, red, or even a striking bronze color.
What does a corn plant look like?
Instead, the leaves look like the leaves of a healthy corn stalk. The plant itself has one thick stem that resembles a tree branch. The leaves typically grow at the top of the stem. Corn plants are easy to grow and exceptionally hardy, only requiring regular watering and indirect sunlight to thrive.
Does quinoa look like corn?
Quinoa may look like young corn plants in its upright growth habit, but lacks the characteristic ears and kernels. It produces clusters of small seeds instead. Here’s a list of Plants that Look Like Corn so much, you will be hard pressed to tell any difference between them!
What is a corn-like plant?
1. Dracaena Fragrans Massangeana: Dracaena, the most well-known corn-like plant, has a forcefully decent, lush green shrub along with a stout tan stem and tassels. On the top of the stem, there are sword-shaped long leaves. The leaves are thin and arching. You will find a golden-yellow stripe on the center of the leaves.
Do corn plants have flowers?
Corn plants often develop striking blossoms. The blooms look incredible and give a different glaze to your garden. Corn plants don’t need bright sunlight to produce flowers. You can also get flowers on your corn plant if they get enough sunlight indoors. You may plant it in a greenhouse to get blooms.