Poaceae
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Retrieved from wikipedia::http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poaceae
The family Poaceae, in the Class Liliopsida of the flowering plants, is also known as Gramineae. Plants of this family are usually called grasses. There are about 600 genera and between 9,000-10,000 species of grasses (Kew Index of World Grass Species). Plant communities dominated by Poaceae are called grasslands; it is estimated that grasslands comprise 20% of the vegetation cover of the earth. This family is the most important of all plant families to human economies: it includes the staple food grains grown around the world, lawn and forage grasses, and bamboo, widely used for construction throughout Asia.
The term "grass" is also applied to many grass-like plants not in the Poaceae, leading to plants of the Poaceae often being called "true grasses".
See also
- agrostology
- grass
- sedges
References
- ^ Dolores R. Piperno and Hans-Dieter Sues (18 November 2005). Dinosaurs Dined on Grass. Science Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-03-23.
External links and references
- TurfFiles by North Carolina State University
- Kew Index of World Grass Species
- Definitions of Grass structures
- Poaceae in L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz] (1992 onwards), The families of flowering plants.
Chapman, G.P. and W.E. Peat. 1992. An Introduction to the Grasses. CAB International, Wallingford.
Cheplick, G.P. 1998. Population Biology of Grasses. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge.
- L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The grass genera of the world.
- Piperno, D. R. & Sues, H.-D. (2005). Paleontology: Dinosaurs Dined on Grass. Science 310 (5751): 1126-1128 (18 November 2005) summary.
- Interactive Keys to North American Grasses at Utah State University
Related articles
Structure and growth of grass Grass evolution | Cultivation and uses of grass | Grass and society | sowing | flowering plants | Cereal leaf beetle | suarcane
