Grass is grass right? We don't really think about it much, other than that it looks good and we wouldn't mind having some in our garden. But grass is actually hugely important and one of the building blocks of life. There are over 9,000 different types of grass, including bamboo and sugar cane for instance. It is through grass that we can have bread and oats (another grass). And the amount of animals and livestock on this planet that live off grass is tremendous. Without grass seed, our planet wouldn't be inhabitable. So perhaps we owe it to grass to learn at least a little bit about it.

The Structure and Life of Grass

Grass is so simple in structure and the way they live is equally simple. This is probably why there is so much of it on our planet. The grass plant has roots that grow deep into the earth. The roots of a grass plant are threadlike and fibrous. They look like little fingers gripping on to the soil. These little fingers then collect all the nutrients they need. They also soak up the water and they help the plant to stay in place.

All about Grass Stems

The stem of a grass plant, or the culm, grows from the crown of the plant, which is the base. A culm is usually rigid and hollow, except at the nodes. The nodes are the joints where segments of stem get together. From the culm, leaves extend upwards, above each of the nodes. Leaves go in different directions so they don't get in each other's way. So, the first leaf will grow to the left, the second to the right, the third to the left and so on.

All about Grass Leaves

The bottom part of a grass leaf is the sheath. The top part of the grass leaf is called a blade. Usually, the sheath and the blade are connected through a ligule. This tends to look like a little fringe. It is a membrane or hairy type of material if you look at it closely. Leaves are very important because, just as with trees, they are what collect the energy of the sun and perform photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, the leaf releases chlorophyll and this is why grass is green.

As you can see, one little grass seed is a hugely important element in our planet. It feeds our animals, it feeds us and it performs photosynthesis, which is essential to us as it makes the air clean for us to breathe. So next time you see a nice lawn somewhere, you can thank Mother Earth for grass and what it does for us as humans.