The plants involved in the Columbian Stock Exchange have dramatically changed both the economy and culture of the New and Old Worlds. European travelers returned home with New World plants such as beans, squash, stewed peppers, sunflowers, peanuts, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, avocados, and pineapples. In any case, the two most significant plants of the New World were the potato and maize (maize). They would eventually influence the Old World and today's human groups. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Maize (maize) is an important crop of the New World in collaboration with the Columbian Exchange. It was consistently essential to the social orders of Central America as it could be dried and stored for long periods of time. It was actually moved to Europe due to its versatile nature and would eventually develop into a wide range of districts far and wide. The introduction of corn to the Old World, along with other New World foods, fostered population growth as new food sources helped strengthen larger social orders. Potatoes are native to South America, but were shipped to the Old World where they would become a key part of the diet of many Europeans for many years to come. The potato was important because they could withstand cold temperatures and grow in moderately fragile soil. In particular, the potato would have been crucial to Ireland in particular and in the nineteenth century Ireland was so dependent on the potato as a source of nutrition that the "Irish Potato Famine" in the 1840s and 1850s caused mass starvation and l immigration from Ireland. About two-fifths of the population depended exclusively on the potato as a source of nutrition, and when a potato disease devastated the crops it had dramatic effects for Ireland and the Irish. The Irish population declined by 20-25% between long periods of famine. Numerous plants from the Old World were brought to the New World and would dramatically influence the Americas. Most importantly, Old World crops, such as corn and wheat, came to constitute staple crops on the American prairies. An increasingly explicit case of an Old World crop was sugarcane. Sugarcane was indeed a critical yield. Christopher Columbus introduced the harvest to the Caribbean on his second voyage to the Americas. The new crop prospered in the New World with the establishment of sugarcane plantations in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. Sugar is used in numerous foods today and has since proven to be one of the most profitable crops ever. Remember: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Espresso was developed in Africa and the Middle East before being moved to the Americas. Once in the New World, espresso developed into a significant new production in Central and South America. It continued to be a major local success due to its ability to develop effectively in the Central and South American environment. Today espresso is a popular drink all over the world.