Wheat
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Wheat is part of an extremely important group called cereal crops. These crops make up the primary staple food for humans and feed for animals. Wheat is mainly ground into flour, which is used to make many types of breads, cakes, donuts, and many other pastries. The stalks can also be used to make biofuel and paper.
Anatomy
Wheat is a monocot flowering plant. This means that when the seedling first breaks the surface it has only one cotyledon, instead of two. The genus Triticum (Wheat) has many species including the wild wheat and also the domesticated and specially bred wheat that many farmers use today. The most commonly used wheat is Triticum aestivum, also called Common Wheat.
One of the main differences between the many species of wheat is the number of chromosomes. Wheat is capable of polyploidy (chromosome doubling). The wild wheats have two sets of chromosomes (diploid), while many of the domesticated wheats have four to six chromosomes.
Reproduction
Wheat reproduces sexually. They are an angiosperm, meaning that its seeds are in a protective ovary (fruit) and not "naked" like a gymnosperm seed. However, unlike most angiosperms its fruit forms hard little spikelets that contain only one seed.
Ecology
Wheat grows in places with a dry, mild climate. In America it is grown most in the midwest states and Eastern Washington but can be grown in almost all of the states. It is domesticated and grown in large quantities to be sold to corporations for use in making flour. The U.S. gives bonuses to independent farmers making it more profitable to the corporations to buy from America rather then overseas.
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