The grasses are an incredibly large and diverse family of flowing plants, with over 12,000 known species. Grass first arose during the Cretaceous period, making it a (evolutionary speaking) a relatively young family. They are a hugely successful family, found in every terrestrial biome and on every continent on Earth (including Antarctica). Grasses are the most economically important plants in human civilisation, providing food, fodder and materials. Grasses also provide food for graminivores (such as livestock) and habitats for billions of different species.
Physical Capabilities
Grasses are characterised by having hollow, cylindrical stems, which are ‘plugged’ at the nodes where the leaves attach. Leaves generally grow from the base of the plant, an adaptation against grazing.
Grass can reproduce by either producing rhizomes (ie tubers), which spread underground and sprout, or by seed. Pollen is usually spread by wind, rather than pollinating insects, so grass flowers are generally small and not flashy, as their purpose is not to attract pollinators.
A notable trait of grass is that their leaves contain high numbers of silica phytoliths- that is, microscopic shards of silica. This not only strengthens the structure of the leaf but also makes the plant difficult to chew and digest, making it unpalatable to most animals. The silica content in some grass leaves can be so high as to make the leaf edges sharp enough to cut human skin.
Feeding And Nutrition
Grasses photosynthesise, converting the sun’s energy into nourishment for themselves. Minerals and water are drawn up through their roots. Grass are hardy plants, with different species adapted to thrive in many different environments, from blazing deserts, soggy swamps, and wind-swept tundra.
Lifestyle
Grass will grow wherever it gets a chance. It merely requires some form of substrate to anchor itself and a suitable source of sunlight and water.
Grass reproduces in different ways depending on the species. Commonly they produce pollen in flowers, which is spread by the wind rather than pollinators. The resulting grass seeds either drop off the parent plant to set around it, or are blown away by the wind to pastures new. Windborne seeds seeds will often have structures to help carry them on the winds (think the ‘parasol’ on a dandelion seed).
Another reproductive strategy is the use of tubers. These grow under the ground from the roots, and eventually sprout a new stem. Although not as easily spread as seeds, tubers are protected from the elements (and herbivores) by being subterranean. The tubers also act as a store of nutrients and water to help tide the parent plant over during times of hardship.