This native of tropical, southeast Asia, unlike the other grasses, does not owe its reputation to its seeds and fruits. In fact, this monocotyledonous, rhizomatous perennial grass is valued for its cane-like stem, and often sets few or no seeds. In prehistoric time, humans dicovered that by chewing the stem they could obtain a sweet juice, as they still do in many places. Sugarcane is widely cultivated in the tropics and warmer regions of the world as a source of sugar, rum, alcohol and molasses. Sugar itself is an essential component of jam and marmalade production. In the United States, this plant is mostly cultivated in Hawaii and the southern states. At maturity, sugar sap accumulated in the pith cells contain around 15% sucrose. Sugarcane stalks are used for making paper, plastics, fuel and cattle food.