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Synopsis
This study briefly discusses the role of extant grasses as food (e.g., wheat, corn, rice) and construction crops (e.g., bamboo, reeds). It then examines fossil grasses based on their presence in amber deposits worldwide. Emphasis is placed on the body fossils of grasses, especially those of the genus Programinis, a primitive bamboo dating back to the mid-Cretaceous that suffered from ergot parasitism. It then transitions to the Eocene Baltic amber grass, Eograminis balticus, followed by the Miocene Pharus primuncinatus that was attached to the pelage of a mammal. Also in Dominican amber were the grasses Alarista succina and Panicum sp. whose spikelets were being carried by ants. A discussion on grass phytoliths shows their application in identifying various fossil grasses and their potential role as insecticides.
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29 April 2025
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