Wheat, any of several species of cereal grasses of the
genus Triticum and their edible grains. Wheat is one of
the oldest and most important of the cereal crops. Of the thousands
of varieties known, the most important are common wheat (Triticum
aestivum), used to make bread; durum wheat (T.
durum), used in making pasta (alimentary pastes) such as
spaghetti and macaroni; and club wheat (T. compactum), a
softer type, used for cake, crackers, cookies, pastries, and
flours. Additionally, some wheat is used by industry for the
production of starch, paste, malt,
dextrose, gluten, alcohol, and other products. For
treatment of the cultivation of wheat, see cereal
farming. For the processing of wheat grain, see cereal
processing. The wheat plant has long
slender leaves and stems that are hollow in most
varieties. The inflorescences are composed of varying numbers of
minute flowers, ranging from *0 to **0. The flowers are borne
in groups of two to six in structures known as spikelets, which
later serve to house the subsequent two or three grains produced by
the flowers. Though grown under a wide range of climates and soils,
wheat is best adapted to temperate regions with rainfall between *0
and *0 cm (*2 and *6 inches). Winter and spring wheat are the two
major types of the crop, with the severity of the winter
determining whether a winter or spring type is cultivated.
Winter wheat is always sown in the fall; spring wheat is generally
sown in the spring but can be sown in the fall where winters are
mild.