Variegated Maiden Grass. Variegatus is an antique maiden grass cultivar that has been in cultivation since the 18th century. The grass grows to 8 feet tall, with a spread of about 5 feet, producing light green leaves striped with white. In the fall, the grass boasts pink flowers.
You can think of elements as different sized marbles (except, in this case, the marbles are all very, very tiny!). Based on the relative sizes of the marbles, they can be stacked in different ways (see the figure). A good example of a simple mineral is table salt (Yes, salt is a mineral.). The proper mineral name for table salt is halite, and a geologist will often identify it by tasting it. Salt is composed of two elements; Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl). Sodium and chlorine are strongly attracted to each other and stack together into a cubic crystal structure (see figure).
For anion, see Orthosilicate (ion). Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of the Earth's crust. They are classified based on the structure of their silicate groups, which contain different ratios of silicon and oxygen.