Grass

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From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grasses

Temporal range: Albian–Present

PreꞒ
 Ꞓ

Pg

[1]

Flowering head of meadow

foxtail Alopecurus pratensis

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Tracheophytes

Clade: Angiosperms
 Clade: Monocots

Clade: Commelinids

Order: Poales

Clade: Graminid clade

Family: Poaceae
John Hendley
Barnhart[2]

Type genus

Poa

L.

Grass is a type of plant with narrow leaves growing from the base. Their appearance
as a common plant was in the mid-Cretaceous period. There are 12,000 species
now.[3]

A common kind of grass is used to cover the ground in places such as lawns and
parks. Grass is usually the color green. That is because they are wind-pollinated
rather than insect-pollinated, so they do not have to attract insects. Green is the best
colour for photosynthesis.

Grasslands such as savannah and prairie are where grasses are dominant. They
cover 40.5% of the land area of the Earth, but not Greenland and Antarctica.[4]

Grasses are monocotyledon herbaceous plants. They include the "grass" of

the family Poaceae, which are called grass by ordinary people. This family is also
called the Gramineae, and includes some of the sedges (Cyperaceae) and
the rushes (Juncaceae).[5] These three families are not very closely related, though
all of them belong to clades in the order Poales. They are similar adaptations to a
similar life-style.

With about 780 genera and about 12,000 species,[3] the Poaceae is the fifth-largest
plant family. Only the Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae have
more species.[6]

The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns (turf)
and grassland. Uses for graminoids include food (as grain, shoots or rhizomes),
drink
(beer, whisky), pasture for livestock, thatch, paper, fuel, clothing, insulation, construc
tion, basket weaving and many others.

Many grasses are short, but some grasses can grow tall, such as bamboo. Plants
from the grass family can grow in many places and make grasslands, including
areas which are very dry or cold. There are several other plants that look similar to
grass and are referred to as such, but are not members of the grass family. These
plants include rushes, reeds, papyrus and water chestnut. Seagrass is a monocot in
the order Alismatales.

Grasses are an important food for many animals, such

as deer, buffalo, cattle, mice, grasshoppers, caterpillars and many other grazers.
Unlike other plants, grasses grow from the bottom, so when animals eat grass they
usually do not destroy the part that grows.[7] This is part of the reason why the plants
are so successful.

Without grass, more soil might wash away into rivers (erosion).

Evolution of grass[change | change source]

Grasses include some of the most versatile plant life-forms. They became
widespread toward the end of the Cretaceous. Fossilized dinosaur dung (coprolites)
have been found containing grass phytoliths (silica stones inside grass leaves).
[8]
Grasses have adapted to conditions in lush rain forests, dry deserts, cold
mountains and even intertidal habitats, and are now the most widespread plant type.
Grass is a valuable source of food and energy for many animals.[9]

Grass and people[change | change source]

Lawn grass is often planted on sports fields and in the area around a building.
Sometimes chemicals and water is used to help lawns to grow.

People have used grasses for a long time. People eat parts of
grasses. Corn, wheat, barley, oats, rice and millet are cereals, common grains
whose seeds are used for food and to make alcohol such as beer.

Sugar comes from sugar cane, which is also a plant in the grass family. People have
grown grasses as food for farm animals for about 4,000 years. People use bamboo
to build houses, fences, furniture and other things. Grass plants can also be used
as fuel, to cover rooves, and to weave baskets.

Language[change | change source]

In English, the word "grass" appears in several phrases. For example:

 "The grass is always greener on the other side" means "people are never
happy with what they have and want something else".
 "Don't let the grass grow under your feet" means "Do something".
 "A snake in the grass" is about a person that will not be honest and will
trick others.
 All flesh is grass: Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 6–8. A
very true observation of the present-day ecology. See the Miocene for the
ecological relevance.
 Grass is a slang term for cannabis (pot, weed, or marijuana). Cannabis
looks like a grass, but it is actually a rosid.
References[change | change source]
1. ↑ Yan Wu; Hai-Lu You; Xiao-Qiang Li (2018). "Dinosaur-associated Poaceae
epidermis and phytoliths from the Early Cretaceous of China". National
Science Review. 5 (5): 721–727. doi:10.1093/nsr/nwx145.
2. ↑ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm
Phylogeny class classification for the orders and families of flowering plants:
APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–
121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x.
3. ↑ Jump up to:3.0 3.1 Christenhusz, M.J.M.; Byng, J.W. (2016). "The number of known
plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. 261 (3): 201–
217. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1. Archived from the original on 2016-07-
29.
4. ↑ Reynolds, S.G. "Grassland of the world". www.fao.org. Archived from the
original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
5. ↑ Chapman G.P. & Peat W.E. 1992. An introduction to the grasses. Oxford:
CAB Internat.
6. ↑ "Angiosperm Phylogeny Website". Archived from the original on 23 March
2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
7. ↑ Cheplick G.P. 1998. Population biology of grasses. Cambridge University
Press.
8. ↑ Piperno, Doris E. & Sues, Hans-Dieter 2010. Dinosaurs dined on
grass. Science. 310 (5751), pp. 1126–1128.
9. ↑ Soderstrom T.R. et al (eds) 1987. Grass systematics and evolution.
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

Related pages[change | change source]

 Grassland
 Cereals
 Fertilizer
 Bamboo
 Thatching
Categories:
 Basic English 850 words
 Poales
 This page was last changed on 20 June 2024, at 06:40.