South Africa has more than 950 grass species. This humble plant family is easily overlooked. We love the description in Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country.
“The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.
It holds the rain and the mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof.
It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil.
Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator.
Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men.
Destroy it and man is destroyed.”
