Many varieties of ornamental corn have a variety of other uses.

Every fall display needs a few dried corn stalks or a few ears of brightly colored, dried corn. The ears available now range from deep red to blue to white, or come with a range of colors on the same ear.

Did you know the corn available for fall decorations is more than just a pretty face? There are many types of corn grown for consumption across the world, and so-called ornamental corn may fall into any of the many categories of corn.

Corn is most often grouped into five major groups: dent, flint, flour, popcorn and sweet corn. There are many varieties within each of the major groups.

Dent corn is the most widely grown corn in the U.S. and is named for the dent or dimple that forms on the outer flat portion of each kernel. It is hard and starchy at harvest, and the bulk of it is used for livestock feed, ethanol production and for processing. A small portion goes into cereal, corn starch, corn meal, oil and syrup. Dent corn is also called field corn and the kernels are typically golden.

Flint corn, flour corn and popcorn are all also referred to as Indian corn and were all cultivated by Native Americans prior to European settlement. Popcorn is thought to be the oldest, and remnants of popcorn have been dated as far back as 3600 B.C.

Flint corn is named for the hardness of the kernel when it is dry and comes in a wide range of colors that make it the most popular choice for fall decorating. Flint corn is starchy but lacks the dent and has a longer shelf-life than dent corn. For consumption, most varieties of flint corn are suited for making into hominy, grinding into flour or using as animal feed.

Flour corn is softer than flint corn but also lacks the dent. It grinds uniformly, making it the best choice for flour and cornmeal. A few varieties can be eaten fresh like sweet corn.

Popcorn is hard and starchy like flint corn, but its kernels explode when heated to become delicious fluffy snacks. Commercial varieties of popcorn are white and yellow, but there are blue, red, and multi-colored popcorns used in decoration that are still good for popping.

One of the most popular varieties of corn used in fall decoration is a popcorn called Glass Gem. Glass Gem has multicolored kernels that glisten like glass beads and pop into small dense flakes if heated.

Sweet corn is the type of corn most commonly eaten by people (in its true form) and is a different species than the other described corns. It is available by the ear at farmers markets and grocery stores in mid-summer in Kansas, and it can be found frozen or canned year-round. Sweet corn is harvested before the sugar in the kernels turns to starch, and it has better flavor and palatability than other corn types.

— Jennifer Smith is a former horticulture extension agent for K-State Research and Extension and horticulturist for Lawrence Parks and Recreation. She is the host of “The Garden Show.”