ZANONIA, in botany, so named in me mory of Giacomo Zanoni, prefect of the botanic garden at Bologna, a genus of the Dioecia Pentandria class and order. Na tural order of Cuctirbitacex, Jussieu. Essential cliaract:1• : calyx three-leaved ; corolla five-parted : female, styles three; berry three-celled, inferior ; seeds two in each cell. There is but one species, viz. Z. indica, a native of Malabar.
ZEA, in botany, a genus of the Monoe cia Triandria class and order. Natural order of Gramina or Grasses.. Essential character : males in distinct spikes ; ca lyx glume two-flowered, awnless; corolla glume two-flowered, awnless: female, ca lyx glunie one-flowered, two-valved ; co rolla glume four-valved style one, fili form, pendulous; seeds solitary, im mersed in an oblong receptacle. There is but one species, viz. Z. mays, Indian corn, or maize, and several varieties. The Indians in New England, and many other parts of America, had no other vegetable but maize, or Indian corn, for making their bread. They call it weachin, and in the United States of America, there is much of the bread of the country made of this grain, not of the European corn.
In Italy, Germany, Spain, and Portugal, maize constitutes a great part of the food of the poor inhabitants. The ear of the maize yields a much greater quantity of grain than any of our corn-ears. There are commonly about eight rows of grain in the ear, often more, if the ground is good. Each of these rows contains at least thirty grains, and each of these gives much more flour than a grain of any of our corn. The grains are usually either white or yellowish ; but sometimes they are red, bluish, greenish, or olive-co loured, and sometimes striped and varie gated. This sort of grain, though so es sentially necessary to the natives of the place, is yet liable to many accidents. It does not ripen till the end of September ; so that the rains often fall heavy upon it while on the stalk, and birds in general peck it when it is soft and unripe. Nature has, to defend it from these accidents, co vered it with a thick husk, which keeps off slight rains very well ; but the birds, if not frightened away, often eat through it, and devour a great quantity of the grain.