Sweet grasses belong to one of the largest plant families of all. There are countless species that can cope with a wide variety of climates and locations. In Germany, sweet grasses play an important role as a staple food and as an ornamental plant in the garden.
What are the most important properties of sweet grasses?
Sweet grasses (Poaceae) are a large family of plants with around 12,000 species in 780 genera that occur worldwide. They inhabit meadows, forests, deserts and more, and serve as food or ornamental plants. Well-known species include cereals, bamboo and ornamental grasses such as pampas grass.
The sweet grass – a profile
- Botanical name: Poaceae=Gramineae
- Family: sweet grasses
- Subdivision: Seed plants, angiosperms
- Occurrence: worldwide
- Species: around 12,000 in 780 genera
- Locations: among others: meadows, forests, deserts, savannahs, dunes
- Height: 10 cm to 400 cm
- Annual / Perennial:
- Flower: Ears of Corn
- Flowering time: depending on the respective species
- Fruits: mostly nuts, occasionally berries or stone fruits
- Leaves: opposite, two-part: leaf sheath and leaf blade
- Propagation: Seed dispersal via wind, rarely via rhizomes
- Toxicity: almost never poisonous
- Use: food, ornamental plant in the garden
- Winter hardiness: Most species are hardy
Known species of sweet grass as ornamental plants
Sweet grasses are grown in the garden because of their delicate growth. Since some species such as bamboo or reeds grow very tall, they are also suitable as privacy screens on fences or for greening ponds.
Known types of sweet grass in the garden are: all ornamental grasses including Japanese grass and pampas grass, all types of reeds, all types of bamboo.
Sweet grasses as a useful plant
Sweet grasses are one of the oldest foods in the world. Some species are also cultivated agriculturally in Germany. All grains – rye, oats, wheat, barley, and millet – are sweet grasses.
In Asia, rice, also a sweet grass, is used as a staple food.
The seeds of sweet grasses contain a lot of starch. They are either ground into flour, crushed or cooked and consumed as a whole grain.
Annual and perennial grasses
Sweet grasses can be annual or perennial. All grains are annuals and die after one season.
Other species such as bamboo, reeds and ornamental grasses are perennial and can live for many years.
Bamboo is a special feature. In contrast to other sweet grasses, its stems are woody. When bamboo flowers, it dies after flowering, even if it is many years old.
Tip
The pollen of the sweet grass is spread by the wind. The flowering period can be very stressful for allergy sufferers. Since the species bloom at different times, pollen calendars help to identify pollen count times.