Kernels are made up of almost all soft, floury endosperm covered by a thin, evenly distributed layer of hard, corneous endosperm. The outer endosperm is made up of a single layer of cells containing blue pigment, and is called the aleurone layer. A thin, transparent layer of crushed cells called the pericarp covers the entire kernel and serves and the seed coat. Pigmentation can occur in the pericarp and the main body of the endosperm, but the blue associated with the blue corn is normally found in the aleurone layer. The shape of the kernel is highly variable.
Shape can range from small, flint-type kernels to large hominy types.
Most blue corn strains exhibit highly variable plant characteristics, including long flowering periods and uneven plant heights. Many strains occasionally produce blank plants that do not produce ears. Depending on soil type, seed should be planted 1 to 2 inches deep in pre-irrigated beds or watered up. Yields will fluctuate greatly with plant spacing fertility level and the amount of water applied. Optimum yields can be achieved when native blue corn plants are 9 inches apart in the row on 36 inch centers under full irrigation.