Grasses are a family of plants sadly known by the large number of allergic people to them in the world. However, these plants are present in our lives far beyond the problems that may cause as allergen, and that is that products as usual as rice, wheat or even sugar cane belong to grasses.
Do you want to learn more about grass plants? Keep reading in this ecology article in which we explain What are grasses, their characteristics, types and examples.
What are grasses – definition and characteristics
Your scientific name is Poaceaealthough they are much better known by their common name: grasses. It is a large family of plants with more than 12,000 species, the vast majority of them Herbaceous, and are the most important family family at the world worldwide. Here we talk about the main characteristics of grass plants:
- Its great importance is due to the fact that a good part of human food is based on them, either directly, in the form of cereal grainsflours and oils, or indirectly, as they are also used Forage grasses To feed poultry and cattle around the world.
- They tend to be perennial or annual and their stems, cylindrical and hollow, they are commonly called white hair.
- Their Hermaphrodite flowers They are grouped into ESPIGASwhich contain several spikelets and their leaves vary greatly given the great diversity of the family.
- They are very cosmopolitan plants, which have spread widely and occupy, in fact, a fifth of the vegetation of the Earth.
- Most of them It blooms in springbut its large number of species and great diversity makes it practically throughout the year we can find grass plants in flowering, as the allergic know.
- The grass allergy It is a fairly common in countries in which they are quite present and the climate, generally, is not very humid, as is the case of Spain. Among the symptoms of this allergy tend to find nasal congestion, sneezing and coughing, tear and itching in the eyes.
Types of grasses – examples of plants
As we have said, grasses are plants with an importance of first order at world economic level. These are some examples of grass species Better known:
- Birdseed
- Rice
- Oatmeal
- Bamboo
- Sugarcane
- Barley
- Rye
- Falaris
- Festuca
- Corn
- Darling
- Shell grass
- Sorghum
- Wheat
Although traditionally grasses were not used in decoration other than as a grass, in recent years there has been a boom of the ornamental use of these plants. These are some of the Types of more used ornamental grasses:
- Muhlenbergia Capillaris
- Typha Latifolia
- Pennisetum alopecuides Hameln
- IMPROACHED RED BARON
- Cymbopogon nardus
- Nasela tenuneima
- Carex Buchananii
- Miscanthus sinensis zebrinus
- Ammophila Arenaria
- Festuca Glauca
- Panicum virgatum
- Acorus gramineus
- Senoalla Cortaderia
- Calamagrostis acutiflora
- Ophiopogon Japonicum
- Ophiopogon Nigra
- Lagurus ovatus
- Juncus Patens
- Holcus mollis albovariegatus
- Cyperus Papirus
- BAMBUSOIDEAE
Ornamental grasses – examples
Let’s see more in detail some of the Ornamental grasses with which we can improve the atmosphere of our house or garden.
Bamboo
Bamboo are a subfamily of grasses, also of enormous importance for the human being, especially in Asia, where they have traditionally used for the elaboration of all kinds of tools and structures.
They are both woody and herbaceous plants, of rapid growth and that are naturally found on all continents except Europe. They tend to be a perennial leaf, although their more than 1,500 species give them great diversity. The Ornamental bamboo They are mainly divided between invaders and non -invaders according to their aggressiveness when expanding through the terrain, although non -invaders are much larger air growth.
There are a great variety of sizes, and are highly appreciated for their resistance, their great growth speed and their ability to stay green all year even in cold climates, in addition to being used as breaks or separators of spaces that do not need hardly maintenance. Among the most common are the following:
- Bambusa vulgaris
- Bambusa Tuldoides
- Ventrician Bambusa
- Guadua Chacoensis
- Thyrsostachys siamensis
- Bambusa Oldhamii
- Fungal Fargesia
Here you can discover more types of bamboo.
Typha Latifolia
It is usually called Junco or Enea And it is a common plant of tropical or subtropical areas of the northern hemisphere, especially in swampy grounds. It stands out for specifying a high level of moisture, although not nutrients, since it grows even in little fertile soils. It blooms in summer and can grow up to heights of more than 2 meters.
Cymbopogon nardus
Much better known by its common name: citronella or Limoncilloit is a grass that comes from Ceylon and other regions of warm climate of Asia. It is very common to add it to gardens for its ability to keep unwanted insects away, so it is also used in the elaboration of mosquito repellent.
Festuca Glauca
This beautiful grass stands out for the bluish green color of its leavesin the form of narrow tapes, which give rise to an almost very striking and decorative spherical kill in almost any garden. It reaches heights up to 25 cm and is originally from the northeast area of the United States.
If you want to read more articles similar to What are grasseswe recommend that you enter our biology category.
