Grass family
= Family Poaceae
Description
The grass family is a very large and important monocotyledonous family of annual or perennial herbs and a few genera which are woody, e.g. bamboos (Gramineae 1). The family is cosmopolitan in distribution and covers about one fifth of the earth’ surface.
Most grasses have hollow stems with solid points, the nodes, capable of intercalary growth. The leaves are in two opposite and alternating rows. Each leaf consists of a sheath around the stem, a linear blade, and a scale-like membrane at the junction of sheath and blade, the ligule. The inflorescences are varied, but are usually composed of spikelets (Gramineae 2), consisting of an axis, 2 sterile bracts (glumes) and 1 or more small flowers (florets). Each floret normally having 2 scales (the lower lemma and the upper palea), 3 stamens with long filaments adapted for wind pollination, and a superior ovary with 2 feathery stigmas. The fruit is an achene, a dry single-seeded indehiscent fruit. In the grass family the achene is called caryopsis, with the wall of the seed fused with the ovary to form the husk. The seed or grain is rich in endosperm.
There are about 700 genera.
Use
Economically the family is of great importance as it provides the staple food of most of the world’s population, e.g. cereals like barley, maize, millets, oats, rice, rye and wheat. Other grasses are sources of sugar and aromatic oils. Bamboos provide building- and construction materials and edible shoots, especially in the tropics.
Described species
Bambusa vulgaris, bamboo
Dendrocalamus strictus, see Bambusa vulgaris
Dendrocalamus asper, see Bambusa vulgaris
Gigantachloa apus, see Bambusa vulgaris
Guadua angustifolia, see Bambusa vulgaris
Oxythenandra abyssinica, see Bambusa vulgaris
Phragmites australis, common reed
Cymbopogon sp., citronella and lemon grass
Cymbopogon nardus, citronella grass, see Cymbopogon sp.
Cymbopogon citratus, lemon grass, see Cymbopogon sp.
Cymbopogon flexuosus, Malabar grass, see Cymbopogon sp.
Cymbopogon martini, rosha grass, see Cymbopogon sp.
Saccharum officinarum, sugar cane
Saccharum spontaneum, see Saccharum officinarum
Avena sativa, oats
Avena byzantina, red oats, see Avena sativa
Hordeum vulgare, barley
Secale cereale, rye
Oryza sativa, rice
Oryza glaberrima, African rice, see Oryza sativa
Triticum aestivum, wheat
Triticum monococcum, einkorn, see Triticum aestivum
Triticum dicoccum, emmer, see Triticum aestivum
Triticum durum, durum, see Triticum aestivum
Triticum spelta, spelt, see Triticum aestivum,
X Triticale, see Triticum aestivum
Zea mays, maize, Indian corn, corn
Zea mexicana, teosinte, see Zea mays
Eleusine coracana, finger millet
Pennisetum typhoides, bulrush millet, pearl millet, spiked millet, cattail millet
Sorghum bicolor, sorghum, great millet
Eragrostis tef, teff
Coix lachryma-jobi, Job’ s tears, adlay
Panicum miliaceum, common millet, proso millet, hog millet, broom-corn millet, Russian millet
Panicum miliare, little millet, see Panicum miliaceum
Echinochloa frumentacea, Japanese millet, see Panicum miliaceum
Setaria italica, foxtail millet