Grasses Honor

Nature Study

Requirements

1. Cite 4 characteristics that a plant needs to have to be considered a grass.

   Answer: Four characteristics: (1) a generally cylindrical, hollow stem with prominent nodes (the culm); (2) long, narrow leaves with parallel veins that wrap around the stem (the sheath); (3) small flowers, grouped in spikes or panicles, without showy petals (wind pollination); (4) a grain-type fruit (caryopsis). — A culm with nodes, narrow leaves with parallel veins, and grains: that is how you recognize a grass.

2. What type of root does a grass have?

   Answer: A grass has a fibrous root system (also called a fasciculated root) — formed by many thin roots of the same size, without a main root, originating from the base of the stem. This type of root holds the soil well. — The fibrous (fasciculated) root system of grasses spreads out and holds the soil — which is why they help prevent erosion.

3. What is the name of the grass family? How many species of this family currently exist?

   Answer: The grass family is Poaceae (formerly called Gramineae). It is one of the largest plant families, with about 12,000 species worldwide. — Grasses form the family Poaceae, one of the largest and most important in the plant kingdom.

4. Is a grass considered a monocotyledon or a dicotyledon?

   Answer: Grass is a monocotyledon — its seed has only one cotyledon, and the plant has leaves with parallel veins and a fibrous root, characteristics of this group. — Grasses are monocotyledons: one cotyledon in the seed, parallel veins, and a fibrous root system.

5. What unique characteristic in the growth of grasses makes it possible for the plant to grow constantly, even when it serves as pasture or is cut?

   Answer: Grasses have their meristem (the growth region) at the BASE of the leaves and internodes, near the soil, and not at the tip. For this reason, when they are cut or grazed by cattle at the top, they keep growing from the base — which makes them ideal for pasture and lawns. — Because they grow 'from below,' grasses resprout even after being cut or grazed — the secret of lawns and pastures.

6. What are annual grasses? Cite 3 examples.

   Answer: Annual grasses are those that complete their entire life cycle (sprouting, growing, flowering, producing seeds, and dying) within one year. Examples: wheat, corn, and rice. — Annuals live only one cycle — like the cereals we plant and harvest in the same year.

7. What are perennial grasses? Cite 3 examples.

   Answer: Perennial grasses are those that live for several years, resprouting each season without needing to be replanted. Examples: sugarcane, elephant grass, and bahiagrass (and pasture grasses in general). — Perennials last for years and resprout on their own — that is why they form lasting pastures and lawns.

8. Give examples of grasses that are used to produce:
   • Bread (3 grasses)
   • Broom
   • Fishing rod
   • Gluten
   • Grain alcohol (2 grasses)
   • Straw
   • Hominy
   • Molasses
   • Oatmeal porridge
   • Starch
   • Sugar
   • White flour

   Answer: 1) Bread (3 grasses): wheat, rye, and corn. 2) Broom: broomcorn (broom grass). 3) Fishing rod: bamboo. 4) Gluten: wheat. 5) Grain alcohol (2 grasses): corn and sugarcane. 6) Straw: rice and wheat (dry stalks). 7) Hominy: corn. 8) Molasses: sugarcane. 9) Oatmeal porridge: oats. 10) Starch: corn. 11) Sugar: sugarcane. 12) White flour: wheat. — From bread to sugar, grasses are at the foundation of human nutrition — corn, wheat, rice, and sugarcane are grasses.

9. Complete the following activities:
   • Choose a grass seed, plant it, and cultivate it for 1 month. Write a report on what you observed.
   • Make a collection with the leaves and seeds and, if possible, flowers of 10 grasses from your region.
10. What is the economic importance of grasses?

    Answer: Grasses have enormous economic importance: they provide the world's main foods (rice, wheat, corn), sugar and alcohol (sugarcane), pasture for cattle (meat and milk), bamboo and straw for construction and handicrafts, lawns, and raw material for industry. They are the foundation of agriculture and of the world's food supply. — Grasses sustain the planet's food supply and drive the economy — from cereals to sugarcane and pastures.

11. In which ecosystem is the grass family among the main families?

    Answer: Grasses are the dominant family in grasslands and savannas — in Brazil, in the Pampas (the grasslands of the South) and the Cerrado, as well as the prairies and steppes around the world. They are open ecosystems, in climates with a dry season, where they predominate. — Grasslands, savannas, and cerrados are the realm of grasses — open ecosystems where they dominate the landscape.

12. Cite 2 biblical passages that refer to grasses.

    Answer: Two passages: Psalm 23:2 — 'He maketh me to lie down in green pastures'; and Isaiah 40:6-8 — 'All flesh is grass... the grass withereth... but the word of our God shall stand for ever.' Also Matthew 6:30, about the grass of the field that God clothes. — The Bible uses grass and pastures as images of God's care and of the brevity of human life.