Grass (or tall grass in the Legacy Console Edition) is a non-solid plant block that has seeds as a drop. Its color is biome-dependent, and matches grass blocks.[1]
Obtaining
When broken normally, all variants will drop 0 or 1 seeds. See Grass#Seeds for more information. They can be obtained as an item using shears.
The double tall grass and large ferns will drop two of the respective single block when broken using shears.[Java and Legacy Console editions only]
It can also be obtained from the Creative inventory.
Natural generation
Grass and double tall grass generate on grass blocks in most biomes that generate grass.
Ferns and large ferns occur naturally only in jungle, taiga, cold taiga and mega taiga biomes.
Shrubs, though identical in appearance to the dead bushes found in deserts and mesas, do not naturally generate.
Bone meal
Bone meal cannot be used on a grass block to grow grass and occasionally flowers on it and in its vicinity. It can also be used on either lol grass or a fern to create a double tall grass or large fern, respectively.
Shrubs
In Java Edition and Legacy Console Edition shrub looks identical to the dead bush, except that it will occasionally drop seeds instead of sticks, and is randomly offset from the center of its block like grass. It can be obtained using /give @p minecraft:tallgrass 1 0[Computer Edition only][upcoming]. In Legacy Console Edition, shrubs are available in the Creative inventory and have a green biome-dependent hue.
In Bedrock Edition, this block is named 'Fern' but has the texture of grass.
Usage
Seeds
All variants of grass have a 1/8 chance of dropping seeds when broken without using shears.
Flower pots
Ferns can be placed in flower pots.
Data values
Grass is defined by its ID and block data. Grass also has a block state which is expected to replace the functionality of block data in a future version.
ID
Grass/ID
Block data
- Block 31 (
minecraft:tallgrass)
| DV | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Grass named "Fern" | |
| 1 | Grass | |
| 2 | Fern | |
| 3 | Fern with NBT variant "snow" |
- Block 175 (
minecraft:double_plant)
| DV | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Sunflower | |
| 1 | Lilac | |
| 2 | Double Tallgrass | |
| 3 | Large Fern | |
| 4 | Rose Bush | |
| 5 | Peony | |
| 8 | Top Half of any Large Plant; low three bits 0x7 are derived from the block below. |
Block state
minecraft:tallgrass
Java Edition:
Tall grass and large fern
| Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| half | lower | lowerupper | The half of the plant contained in this block. |
Bedrock Edition:
Grass and fern
| Name | Metadata Bits | Default value | Allowed values | Values for Metadata Bits |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tall_grass_type | 0x10x2 | default
| default | 0 | Fern (Unused variant which looks identical to grass) |
tall | 1 | Grass | |||
fern | 2 | Fern | |||
snow | 3 | Fern (looks identical to actual fern) |
Tall grass and large fern
| Name | Metadata Bits | Default value | Allowed values | Values for Metadata Bits |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| double_plant_type | 0x10x20x4 | sunflower | sunflowersyringagrassfernrosepaeonia | 012345 | The flower type. |
| upper_block_bit | 0x8 | false | falsetrue | 01 | If it is the upper half of the plant. For items, it is 0. |
Grass/DoubleTall/BS
Video
Grass/video
History
| beta | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 | Tall grass was implemented.[2] Seeds used to be produced by tilling grass blocks prior to this update. | ||||
| 1.6.6 | Bone meal can be used to instantly grow tall grass on grass blocks. | ||||
| 1.8 | Grass and ferns can now be harvested with shears. Previously, tall grass could not be acquired as an item without the use of external tools. Tall grass in the inventory would appear as its greyscale texture, and would appear as the 'shrub' variety or the dead bush when placed. | ||||
| Swamp biomes have been redesigned and rain forest biomes are removed entirely, so triangular ferns no longer generate. | |||||
| release | |||||
| 1.0.0 | Ferns are available in the creative inventory. | ||||
| 1.2.1 | 12w03a | Ferns generate in jungle biomes. | |||
| 12w05a | Placing a block while selecting grass now overwrites the grass, similar to snow. Previously, grass had to be broken to place blocks in that space. | ||||
| 1.5.1 | Tall grass with a damage value of 3 or higher is still called 'grass', and still has green biome coloring, but is now shaped like a shrub or dead bush. | ||||
| 1.7.2 | 13w36a | Added double tall grass and large ferns. Ferns now spawn in taiga and cold taiga biomes. | |||
| 1.8 | Green colored shrubs (damage value 3 or greater) now look like normal shrubs. | ||||
| 1.8.1 | pre1 | Added facing state to minecraft:double_plant, though without visible effect. | |||
| Upcoming | |||||
| 1.13 | 17w47a | Double tall grass has been renamed to tall grass, and it has a new ID: tall_grass. Also renamed tall grass to grass.
| |||
Merged the shrub's ID with the regular dead bush one (dead_bush), thus removing the shrub variant completely. | |||||
| Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
| Pre-release | Tall grass added, but unobtainable. | ||||
| 0.5.0 | Now drops seeds, despite remaining unobtainable. | ||||
| 0.8.0 | Tall grass and ferns now generate. | ||||
| 0.9.0 | build 1 | Added double tall grass and large ferns. | |||
| Tall grass and ferns now generate. | |||||
| build 5 | Tall grass is no longer flammable. | ||||
| 0.11.0 | build 14 | Double tallgrass and large fern pixels are now square. | |||
| Tall grass and ferns now have a random height. | |||||
| 0.14.0 | build 3 | Hitboxes of all variants of tall grass no longer occupy an entire block. | |||
| ? | One-block high grass and ferns can now occupy the same space as snow layers. | ||||
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||
| TU1 | CU1 | 1.0 | Patch 1 | Grass, tall grass and fern added. | |
| TU7 | Added ferns to creative. | ||||
| TU12 | Placing a block while selecting grass now overwrites the grass, similar to snow. Previously, grass had to be broken to place blocks in that space. | ||||
Issues
Issues relating to "Grass", "Fern", "Double Tallgrass", or "Large Fern" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
Trivia
- Grass cannot be directly set on fire from lightning. However, fire from nearby blocks can spread to it. Oddly enough, the top of grass can be lit but it will not burn this way. When any kind of tall grass is set on fire, the fire seems to hover just over the grass, as if it were a full block.
- Even though ferns do not produce seeds in real life, as they emit spores instead, they can drop seeds if broken.
- Grass is slightly offset from the block it is sitting on (as seen in the second screenshot). This causes fields of grass appear more contiguous and not like dotted patches of hair atop blocks.
- Grass can appear in caves on dirt near lava, and rarely, within a few blocks of bedrock. It can also generate in a village house.
- Using bone meal on grass in a spawn-protected area on a server will still produce tall grass and flowers.
- Placing any block on grass will overwrite the grass, and will not drop seeds.
- When being chased by mobs, hiding in double tallgrass will often cause them to lose sight of players, even if they are a few blocks away. Sugar cane also has this property.
- When the topmost block of tall grass or fern is hit with a sword in creative mode, the particles emitted are that of sunflower block.
Gallery
Grass appears slightly offset from a grass block.
Grass and ferns in Bedrock Edition have a randomly selected height.
Grass growing in an abandoned mineshaft.
Tall grass that was set on fire using flint and steel.
Double tall grass may stump most hostile mobs, such as this Creeper however mobs may be able to attack if they're right next to the player.
Shrubs in the Legacy Console Edition, placed in an intersection between a taiga, a roofed forest and a desert.
References





