Grasslands: Plants

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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Grasslands are named after the plants that are found there.

Grasses are the dominant type of plant found in grasslands. One way to remember that grasslands have mostly grass is to remember the word grass in grasslands.

Both temperate and tropical grasslands are mainly made up of grasses.

Temperate grasslands have many different types of grass.

The most common grasses in temperate grasslands are buffalo grass, wheat grass, purple needle grass, and blue gamma grass. Those are just a few examples of the hundreds of grasses in this biome.

Hundreds of wildflowers can also be found in temperate grasslands.

Some examples of wildflowers found here include blazing stars, coneflowers, sunflowers, clover, wild indigos, asters, and Indian blankets. The nutrient-rich soil allows the plants here to thrive!

The soil is great for growing plants, but you won't find many trees here. Trees are rarely found in grasslands because of wildfires, droughts, and grazing herbivores (plant-eating animals).

The plant below on the left is purple needle grass, and the plant on the right is blazing stars.

Tropical grasslands are also home to many different types of grasses, just like temperate grasslands.

Some grasses in tropical grasslands can grow up to nine feet tall! The savanna's most common grass types include red oats, star, Rhodes, lemon, elephant, and Bermuda grass.

Remember, these are just a few examples. There are hundreds of different types of grass found in tropical grasslands!

Wildflowers and small shrubs can also be found in tropical grasslands. Purple cone flowers, asters, and blazing stars are examples of wildflowers found in the savanna.

Unlike temperate grasslands, some trees can grow in the savanna. These trees have long roots that allow them to get water deep in the ground during droughts.

The top image below is an umbrella thorn acadia, and the image below is lemon grass.

Great job!

Write down one thing you learned about plants found in grasslands.

Then, move on to the Got It? section.