Dent corn is characterized by the presence of corneous, horny endosperm at the sides and back of the kernels. The central core is a soft, floury endosperm, which, upon drying, it collapses to produce a distinct indentation.
Dent corn is used primarily as animal food and industrial starch.
Flint corn has thick, hard, glassy endosperm layer surrounding a small, soft granular center. Generally, the kernels are smooth and rounded, and the ears long and slender with a comparatively small number of rows or kernels. Flints are grown in Argentina and other areas of South America and southern Europe where they are used for feed and food. Pod corn is more of an ornamental type. It has long glumes enclosing each kernel individually.