Poaceae
| Grasses | |
|---|---|
| |
| Flowering head of meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), with stamens exerted at anthesis | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Clade: | Graminid clade |
| Family: | Poaceae Barnhart[2] |
| Type genus | |
| Poa | |
| Subfamilies | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
|
Gramineae Juss. | |
Poaceae or Gramineae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants known as grasses. Poaceae includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and cultivated lawns (turf) and pasture. Grasses have stems that are hollow except at the nodes and narrow alternate leaves borne in two ranks. The lower part of each leaf encloses the stem, forming a leaf-sheath. With ca 780 genera and around 12,000 species,[4] Poaceae are the fifth-largest plant family, following the Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae.[5]
Uses
Grasses are, in human terms, perhaps the most economically important plant family. Their economic importance stems from several areas, including food production, industry, and lawns. They have been grown as food for domesticated animals for up to 6,000 years and the grains of grasses such as wheat, rice, maize (corn) and barley have been the most important human food crops. Grasses are also used in the manufacture of thatch, paper, fuel, clothing, insulation, timber for fencing, furniture, scaffolding and construction materials, floor matting, sports turf and baskets.
Food production
Agricultural grasses grown for their edible seeds are called cereals or grains (although the latter term, agriculturally, refers to both cereals and legumes). Three cereals – rice, wheat, and maize (corn) – provide more than half of all calories eaten by humans.[6] Of all crops, 70% are grasses.[7] Cereals constitute the major source of carbohydrates for humans and perhaps the major source of protein, and include rice in southern and eastern Asia, maize in Central and South America, and wheat and barley in Europe, northern Asia and the Americas.
Sugarcane is the major source of sugar production. Additional food uses include sprouted grain, shoots, rhizomes and sugar), drink (sugarcane juice, plant milk, rum, beer, whisky, vodka).
Lemongrass is used as a culinary herb for its scent.
Many species of grasses are grown as pasture for forage and fodder for livestock, particularly for sheep and cattle. They may be cut and stored in the form of hay, straw or silage for use during the winter. Hay and straw are used for animal bedding.
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References
- ↑ Piperno, Dolores R.; Sues, Hans-Dieter (2005). "Dinosaurs Dined on Grass". Science. 310 (5751): 1126–8. doi:10.1126/science.1121020. PMID 16293745.
- ↑ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III" (PDF). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
- ↑ HASTON, ELSPETH; RICHARDSON, JAMES E.; STEVENS, PETER F.; CHASE, MARK W.; HARRIS, DAVID J. (October 2009). "The Linear Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (LAPG) III: a linear sequence of the families in APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 128–131. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.01000.x.
- ↑ Christenhusz, M.J.M.; Byng, J.W. (2016). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. Magnolia Press. 261 (3): 201–217. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1.
- ↑ "Angiosperm Phylogeny Website". Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ↑ Raven, P.H.; Johnson, G.B. (1995). Carol J. Mills, ed. Understanding Biology (3rd ed.). WM C. Brown. p. 536. ISBN 0-697-22213-6.
- ↑ George Constable, ed. (1985). Grasslands and Tundra. Planet Earth. Time Life Books. p. 19. ISBN 0-8094-4520-4.
Acknowledgements
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Poaceae, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.