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This Is Why Corn on the Cob Only Ever Has an Even Number of Rows
Published on May 18, 2025
As a Midwesterner, I enjoy corn season for two reasons: eating fresh corn (obviously), but also passing fields of cornstalks waving like wide inland seas. I always cook sweet corn on the cob, usually grilled or boiled.
While nibbling around the cob, typewriter-style, I’ve noticed something interesting: When I count the number of rows on each cob, I only ever get an even number. When I pick the best ears of corn at the market, do I just have good luck and buy only even-numbered cobs? Or is this something about the way corn grows?
How many rows are on an ear of corn?
Most ears of corn have eight to 20 rows of kernels. And yes, that number is always even.
If you dabble in backyard gardening, you may appreciate this nerdy botany lesson. Corn develops from female pistillate flowers, which produce seeds. Those seeds are what turn into kernels of corn. In the early stages of corn growth, the cobs are lined with rows of flowers. As part of development, each row doubles itself, leading to an even number of rows on the final ripe cob.
Does corn on the cob ever have an odd number of rows?
Odd-numbered corn cobs are rarer than four-leaf clovers by far. Biologically, corn develops in paired rows. Once in a blue moon, you may strip away corn silks to reveal an odd-numbered ear. This can be a sign of stress during the growing season, or it may be a rare inbred variety of corn. Like hen’s teeth, these asymmetrical ears are just plain unlikely.
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