With joists and beams made of sturdy bamboo canes, walls of woven split bamboo and roofs thatched with reeds or straw, houses in parts of Asia are constructed entirely from grass. Elsewhere straw-bale houses are proving popular, as they are so well insulated against temperature extremes. Inside their homes, people use different grasses, often harvested locally, to make furniture, bags and baskets for storage, and matting to cover the floor.

Reeds for roofing

Throughout the world, grasses are used as roofing materials. A thick layer of grass stems or leaves, carefully fastened down, creates a long-lasting weatherproof thatch.

In Britain, the two grasses used for thatch are wheat and reeds (Phragmites australis). A reed thatch, laid down by an expert thatcher, will last for up to 80 years in the country’s drier eastern counties. On average, 2000-3000 bundles of reeds are used per roof, with one bundle forming one square foot of roof. Some of the reeds used by British thatchers are harvested in this country, mainly from reedbeds in Norfolk and Suffolk and around the Tay estuary in Perthshire. They grow in wetlands that are flooded for at least part of the year.

Reedbeds are being planted to treat sewage. The reeds encourage the activity of beneficial micro-organisms that detoxify the raw sewage and release plant nutrients.

Baskets – large and small

Baskets take many shapes and forms – from sieves to fish traps, and from storage containers to cradles. Basketmakers need materials that are flexible enough to coil or weave, and many grasses fit the bill perfectly. Split stems of bamboos or reeds, bunches of straw, or long narrow grass leaves can be intricately woven, plaited or twined to create utilitarian and ornamental baskets.

Many native American baskets are made from coils of grass, wrapped in plant threads and carefully stitched together. In the north-eastern states of the USA, the Chippewa people choose sweet grass (Hierochloe odorata) as the basis of their baskets. Other basketmakers decorate their baskets with sweet-grass binding or braids. This scented grass is of great cultural significance, both as a medicine and a ceremonial incense.

Shoes and hats can be made from woven or coiled grass. See the Plants+People exhibition to see shoes made from marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) and a hat from maize husks (Zea mays).