A very unique and very, very ancient landrace of dark coffee to chocolate colored popcorn. Prehistoric cobs of this landrace have been found that date back to 4100-4200 years ago, making it the oldest corn also known to have been found. This is the first THE first corn to enter the U.S. from Mexico and Central America. Mexican ethnobotanist Efrain Hernandez-Xolocotzli  found it to be restricted to the coastal lowlands of Northwestern Mexico, just south of Arizona, where Uto-Aztecan tribes were still growing it. Adapted to arid subtropical climates, the landrace has small to long ears of the beautiful kernels and medium to usually tall plants. Once it entered the U.S., the Native American tribes used it to make a special drink called "chapalote pinole." . While it is making a come back, this ancient beauty is still pretty rare. It was even thought extinct north of the U.S./Mexico border.
First photo by Alejandro Ortega Corona of Biodiversidad Mexicana.