Which grass grows tallest?

Question

erm.. i don't think I have to say any more...

Answer 1

Grass is a common word that generally describes a monocotyledonous green plant in the family Gramineae (Poaceae). True grasses include most plants grown as grains, for pasture, and for lawns (turf). They include some more specialised crops such as lemongrass, as well as many ornamental plants. They also include plants often not recognized to be grasses, such as bamboos or some species of weeds called crab grass.

Contents

[show]

    * 1 Use of the term

    * 2 Importance

          o 2.1 In sports

          o 2.2 In fiction

    * 3 Footnotes

    * 4 References

    * 5 External links

Use of the term

Tall grass growing wild at Lyme Park

Tall grass growing wild at Lyme Park

The term grass is often used to describe related plants in the rush (Juncaceae) and sedge (Cyperaceae) families, that somewhat resemble grass. It may also be used to describe completely unrelated plants, sometimes of similar appearances to grass, with leaves rising vertically from the ground, and sometimes of dissimilar appearance. The term came about in the early 15th century, from the Old English græs, derived from the same root as "grow". A single piece of grass is called a blade of grass.

Importance

Houses with grass roofs in Iceland.

Houses with grass roofs in Iceland.

Grass-like plants are among the most versatile life forms. Plants having grass-like structures have existed for millions of years, providing fodder for Cretaceous dinosaurs, whose fossilized dung (coprolite) contains phytoliths of a variety of grasses that include the ancestors of rice and bamboo.[1] Grasses have adapted to conditions in lush rain forests, dry deserts, and cold mountain steppes, and are now the most widespread plant type.

Plants of this type were always important to humans. They were cultivated as food for domesticated animals for up to 10,000 years. (See grass fed beef.) They have been used for paper-making since at least 2400 BC. Now they provide the majority of food crops, and have many other uses, such as feeding animals, and for lawns. There are many minor uses, and grasses are familiar to most human cultures.

In some places, particularly in suburban areas in the United States and Canada, the maintenance of a grass lawn is a sign of a homeowner's responsibility to the overall appearance of their neighborhood. Many municipalities and homeowner's associations have rules about this. Some require lawns to be maintained to certain specifications, sanctioning those who allow the grass to grow too long. In communities with drought problems, watering of lawns may be restricted to certain times of day or days of the week.

In sports

The yellow area is the pitch currently in use. Parallel to it are other pitches in various states of preparation which could be used in other matches.

The yellow area is the pitch currently in use. Parallel to it are other pitches in various states of preparation which could be used in other matches.

A sea of neatly cut grass surrounds the bunkers at Filton Golf Club, Bristol.

A sea of neatly cut grass surrounds the bunkers at Filton Golf Club, Bristol.

Grass is also used in several contexts in sports, most notably with sports played on fields such as football, cricket, baseball, and rugby. In some sports facilities, including indoor domes and places where maintenance of a grass field would be difficult, grass may be replaced with artificial turf, a synthetic grass-like substitute. Sports such as cricket, golf and tennis are particularly dependent on the quality of the grass on which the sport is played.

A cricket pitch often starts with a thin cover of green blades, but over the course of a five-day match tends to dry out and harden. Even in one-day matches cricket pitches are often nearly bare earth covered only by a layer of dry yellow stalks. A green or moist pitch favours the bowler, as it varies the bounce of the ball and increases its movement. A hard, dry pitch gives a more predictable, higher bounce which favours the batsman. The nature of the outfield is also important, as grass may slow down a ball, causing it to stop before reaching a boundary or allowing a fielder more time to gather the ball. Laws 10 and 11 of cricket detail maintenance and protection of the pitch. Unlike test cricket and One Day International, indoor cricket is played on an artificial surface.

In tennis, grass is grown on very hard-packed soil, and bounces may vary depending on the grass's health, how recently it has been mowed, and the wear and tear of recent play. The most famous grass tennis court in the world is Centre Court at Wimbledon. But tennis is usually played on clay courts, and only a few regular tennis tournaments are played on grass. The surface is softer than hard courts, so the ball bounces lower, and players must reach the ball faster. Grass courts are now rare as they must be watered and mowed often, and take longer to dry after rain than hard courts.

Golf, on the other hand, is always played on grass, and is dependent on the maintenance of a very large area of well-cut grass. Grass on golf courses is kept in three distinct conditions: that of the rough, the fairway, and the putting green. Grass on the fairway is short and even, allowing the player to cleanly strike the ball. Playing from the rough is a disadvantage because the grass is generally much longer, which may affect the flight of the ball. Grass on the putting green is the shortest and most even, ideally allowing the ball to slide smoothly over the surface. An entire industry revolves around the development and marketing of grasses for golf courses.

In fiction

In some places, even small areas of grass are valuable. These steps were built to access grass for animal feed. Swiss-Italian region near Bignasco.

In some places, even small areas of grass are valuable. These steps were built to access grass for animal feed. Swiss-Italian region near Bignasco.

Grass plays a central role in two important science fiction catastrophe novels from the 1940s and 1950s, Ward Moore's Greener Than You Think, in which the world is slowly taken over by unstoppable Bermuda Grass, John Christopher's The Death of Grass, in which a plague that kills off all forms of grass threatens the survival of the human species.

Poet Walt Whitman's most revered work, Leaves of Grass, was so named because of a set of double meanings. Leaves could refer to both individual blades, and pages in a book; grass was also a term used by publishers to refer to miscellaneous works of little importance.

Footnotes

   1. ^ Piperno & Sues, 2005.

References

    * Chapman, G.P. and W.E. Peat. 1992. An Introduction to the Grasses. CAB Internat., Oxon, UK.

    * Cheplick, G.P. 1998. Population Biology of Grasses. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    * Milne, L. and M. Milne. 1967. Living Plants of the World. Chaticleer Press, N.Y.

    * Soderstrom, T.R., K.W. Hilu, C.S. Campbell, and M.E. Barkworth, eds. 1987. Grass Systematics and Evolution. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

    * Went, Frits W. 1963. The Plants. Time-Life Books, N.Y.

Answer 2

The male plants are usually taller than the female plants. However, cannabis sativa isn't a grass, it is an herb.

The tallest grasses are probably bamboos,

Answer 3

Dendrocalamus sinicus, Dendrocalamus giganteus and Dendrocalamus brandesii are all reliably reported to grow more than 30m tall (roughly a hundred feet).  D. sinicus has been reported at 38m (125 ft), but I'm unclear as to the veracity of that report.

Answer 4

mine

Answer 5

Giant bamboo

Answer 6

Elephant grass is the tallest grass ; but sugarcane takes the cake !!!!=

1 )  Pennisetum purpureum (Elephant Grass, Napier Grass or Uganda Grass) is a species of grass native to the tropical grasslands of Africa. It is a tall perennial plant, growing to 2-4.5 m tall (rarely up to 7.5 m), with razor-sharp leaves 30-120 cm long and 1-5 cm broad.

It has a very high productivity, both as a forage grass for livestock and as a biofuel crop. The name Elephant grass derives from it being a favourite food of elephants.

It can be killed with a light layer of frost but is usually harvested before winter so it can be burnt in power plants.

It has been proposed as a countermeasure to the corn borer in North America, since it attracts and traps the  pest.

For more info =

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennisetum_...

Elephant in Elephant grass =http://www.hobotraveler.com/162nepaltoa...

Man and the grass =

http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/penpurdr.jpg

2 )  Sugar cane is a grass from family Poaceae , just like the elephant grass . But having very high economic significance it is not treated as a grass ( Otherwise it has all the attributes of a grass ) If you bring that in to competition then it will win the title of being the tallest  grass !!!

http://www.food-info.net/images/sugarcan...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharum_o...

From a Botanist

Answer 7

Well thats subject to variation can't really tell you the tallest grass but there are many different types of grasses that are tall eg sugar cane, bamboo, pampas grass and giant reed (Arundo donax) and common reed (Phragmites australis) which grows native in Australia

Answer 8

Pampas grass

Answer 9

It is the Bamboo Grass, It can grow to be over 120 feet tall!