Zea diploperennis

Zea diploperennis, the diploperennial teosinte,^[2] is a species of grass (family: Poaceae) in the genus Zea and a teosinte (wild relative of maize or corn). It is perennial.

Zea diploperennis
Zea diploperennis, Conservatoire botanique national de Brest, France, June 2007
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Genus:	Zea
Species:	Z. diploperennis
Binomial name
Zea diploperennis H.H.Iltis Doebley & R.Guzman & Pazy B., 1979

Conservation

Virtually all populations of this teosinte are either threatened or endangered: Z. diploperennis exists in an area of only a few square miles. The Mexican and Nicaraguan governments have taken action in recent years to protect wild teosinte populations, using both in situ and ex situ conservation methods. Currently, a large amount of scientific interest exists in conferring beneficial teosinte traits, such as insect resistance, perennialism, and flood tolerance, to cultivated maize lines, although this is challenging due to linked deleterious teosinte traits. Researchers are studying Z. diploperennis as its genes provide resistance against Striga, a parasitic plant that can decrease grain yield.^[3][4]