The effect of short daylength on the morphology and reproduction of teosinte, Zea mays ssp. mexicana (Schräder) Iltis (races Central Plateau and Chalco Los Reyes), Z. mays ssp. parviglumis var. huehuetenanguensis (Iltis & Doebley), Z. luxurians (Durieu & Ascherson) Bird and Z. diploperennis (litis, Doebley & Guzman) were studied in comparison with a maize population at the experimental area of UNICAMP (SP), 22º54' S, on February-July 1989. Daily phenological observations showed that Z. mays ssp. mexicana populations were the earliest to flower followed by Z. mays ssp. mays, Z. diploperennis, Z. luxurians and Z. mays ssp. parviglumis var. huehuetenanguensis. According to a canonical analysis it was found that these germplasm accessions were distributed in four different groups according to the traits begining and ending of flowering of terminal panicles, and begining and ending of flowering of panicles of lateral branches. The population of Z. mays ssp. parviglumis var. huehuetenanguensis was placed as a intermediary group between Section Zea and Section Luxuriantes. These findings agree with recent works based on isoenzymatic analysis and disagree with the classification by Doebley & litis (1980) based on morphology of male inflorescence and shape of the cupule.
Teosinte; photoperiod; Zea e Luxuriantes