Poaceae, also called Gramineae and commonly known as the true grasses, is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants that includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, and the grasses of natural grassland and cultivated lawns and pasture. The family contains around 780 genera and about 12,000 species, making it the fifth largest plant family and the most economically important, providing staple foods including maize, wheat, rice, oats, barley and millet; grasslands make up 40.5 percent of Earth's land area excluding Greenland and Antarctica.
Facts
Taxonomic Rank Scientific Name Member Species/Taxa Count Geographic DistributionNearly ubiquitous worldwide; grasslands such as savannah and prairie, where grasses are dominant, are estimated to cover 40.5 percent of the land area of Earth, excluding Greenland and Antarctica. 1 Defining CharacteristicsPoaceae includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland, and species cultivated in lawns and pasture. 1 Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceGrass stems, called culms, are usually cylindrical and hollow, plugged at the nodes where the leaves attach. 1 Sources
1. Poaceae (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section, second paragraph, first sentence
With around 780 genera and around 12,000 species, the Poaceae is the fifth-largest plant family, following the Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae.
Lead section, grassland-extent sentence
Grasslands such as savannah and prairie where grasses are dominant are estimated to constitute 40.5% of the land area of the Earth, excluding Greenland and Antarctica.
Lead section, second sentence
It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and pasture.
Description section, first sentence
The stems of grasses, called culms, are usually cylindrical (more rarely flattened, but not 3-angled) and are hollow, plugged at the nodes, where the leaves are attached.
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