qizz question on grass

[andrewjbainbridge]

what is the only grass that can actually grow in water

[Eric La Fountaine]

Is this a school quiz?... because I don't want to answer your homework. The question is confusing to me. Several grasses grow underwater and a quick internet search turned up two distinct genera that can grow in water without roots in the soil. Can you clarify the question?

[andrewjbainbridge]

thank you for your kind reply , its a genral knowledge quizz and the question on the paper is how i have wrote it many thanks andy

[jimmyq]

try a search engine for some ideas, http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=...derwater&meta=

cheers

[Eric La Fountaine]

I guess the question is not precise enough. I did the same search and several grasses (true grasses) grow underwater (we have all seen images of flooded rice fields.) I also did a search for floating grass and found two that survive floating in the water. There may be more. I stopped searching after that. My guess would be that the answer is Oryza sativa (rice), but the question is wrong.

[andrewjbainbridge]

many thanks jimmy for taking time out, yes i think the question lack more detail also

[Michael F]

Maybe the questioner meant 'only grass native to Britain [or to Lincolnshire?] that can actually grow in water'?, with the expected answer Common Reed Phragmires australis? (tho' even that isn't wholly true, there are other grasses here which will grow in water, they're just less common).

[andrewjbainbridge]

many thanks for you answer andy

[Weekend Gardener]

Any references to nature and physiology that use absolute terms like "never", "only", "always", etc are on pretty shaky ground. Any examiner setting multiple choice questions should know that - unless, the question is deliberately designed to trip the poor student up!