 Teosintes are distinguished from maize most obviously by their numerous branches each bearing bunches of distinctive, small female inflorescences.These spikes mature to form a two-ranked 'ear' of five to 10 triangular or trapezoidal, black or brown disarticulating segments, each with one seed.Each seed is enclosed by a very hard fruitcase, consisting of a cupule or depression in the rachis and a tough lower glume.