Most blue corn varieties were also found to be high in iron and zinc. Blue corn flours and meals have traditionally been used in making tortillas and corn chips. Newer products include pancake and muffin mixes and corn flakes. Today ornamental corns are normally used by florists or sold in grocery stores or roadside stands as an ornamental. Ribbons can be wrapped around the husks or husks can be woven together into corn ristras.
Ornamental corns can be dent, sweet, pop, flint, or floury endosperm types.
Endosperm may be colorless, yellow, white, or orange-yellow. The aleurone layer may be red, yellow, brown, blue, or colorless. The genetic makeup of the pericarp comes strictly from the female parent, thus the pericarp color of all kernels on a cob should be the same. Colors may range from colorless to variegated and from brown to purplish-red. The most familiar example is the red color associated with strawberry popcorn.