Probably for most of us grass is the green stuff we look at outside our house, we walk on it, sit on it, and of course mow it. For farmers, football players, and golfers, it is their work area. And what an ideal playground grass is for children. And when natural grass isn`t available for some reason, we turn to the artificial kind for our needs. But does the term grass only refer to the turf of lawns, farms, and playing fields?
Whether we realize it or not, virtually all of us have daily contact with some type of grass and the products made from it, even if we don`t have a lawn in our backyard. What then is grass
Commonly, all kinds of low, green plants are called grass. In addition to plants scientifically designated as part of the grass family (Gramineae, or Poaceae), some regard sedges and rushes as grass. But only the grass family is said to be true grass.
There are around 10,000 species of grass. It`s a major part of the earth`s surface. It grows everywhere, in polar regions and deserts, in tropical rain forests, and on windswept mountain slopes. Areas such as the steppes, Los Llanos (a vast tropical grassland plain located at the east of the Andes in northwestern South America), pampas, prairies, and savannas-are dominated by grass.
The reason that grass is so hardy is that it grows, not at the tip, but in growth areas above the nodes. And new shoots might start from stems growing horizontally on or under the ground. So when the lawn mower cuts away the tip, grass keeps growing, whereas many other plants stop. That is why frequent mowing makes grass the ideal choice over other plants and can make a lawn dense and beautiful.
Amazingly, with most grasses, if the stem is bent over by the wind or trodden underfoot, it can raise itself up by growing faster on the side facing the ground. For these reasons grass usually recovers quickly after being damaged, which gives it an advantage over other plants in the fight for sunlight.
Not every grass can grow in every climate. Some species are good for shade, others are better for colder climates and still others perform better in extremely hot areas.
Grass is not only the most abundant but also the most important flowering-plant family on earth. Numerous Sorghum species are used for food, fodder, the production of alcoholic beverages, as well as bio fuels. The beauty about most of the sorghum species is that they are drought and heat tolerant and are well suited to cope in arid regions. In bread the flour used is made from grass kernels – wheat, rye, barley, and other grains are all grasses. Cornflakes and corn pudding as well as tortillas made from corn flour are no exception. Corn, or maize, is a grass too. When you have sugar more than half of the production comes from sugarcane, a grass. Even milk and cheese are in a sense processed grass, as that is what cows, sheep, and goats usually feed on.
Pasta as well as pizza crust are made from wheat flour. Poultry is often fed with grain. Cattle are fed all kinds of grasses. Thus, to a great extent, the eggs, poultry, and beef we eat are the result of grass being processed by an animal’s metabolism. And what about drinking grass? Aside from milk, many popular alcoholic beverages are made from grass: beer, whiskey, rum, sake, kvas (a Russian mildly alcoholic soft drink), and most vodka.
Some estimates suggest that more than half the calories consumed worldwide come from grasses. That shouldn`t be too surprising, for grass covers up to 70% of all cultivated land!
If your house has walls made of clay and straw, it is the grass that gives them the necessary strength. In different parts of the world, roofs are thatched with grass. Houses with grass roofs are sometimes put on houses in Iceland and other countries.
In some lands bamboo is used for scaffolds, pipes, furniture, walls, and other applications. Often in homes the bamboo is hidden beneath plaster. Mats and baskets are woven from grass, and it provides raw material for glue and paper. Do not forget your clothes. Most animals from which we get wool and leather feed on grass.
