Gramineae Juss.
Alternatively Poaceae Barnhart (nom. altern.)
Including Agrostidaceae Burnett, Andropogonaceae (J. Presl) Herter, Anomochloaceae Nak., Arundinaceae (Dum.) Herter, Arundinellaceae (Stapf) Herter, Avenaceae (Kunth) Herter, Bambusaceae Nak., Chloridaceae (Reichenb.) Herter, Eragrostidaceae (Benth.) Herter, Hordeaceae Burnett, Lepturaceae (Benth.) Herter, Miliaceae Burnett, Oryzaceae (Kunth) Herter, Panicaceae (R. Br.) Herter, Pappophoraceae (Kunth) Herter, Parianaceae (Hack.) Nak., Phalaridaceae Burnett, Spartinaceae Burnett, Sporobolaceae (Stapf) Herter, Stipaceae Burnett, Streptochaetaceae (C.E. Hubb.) Nak.
Habit and leaf form. Herbs, or shrubs, or ‘arborescent’, or lianas. ‘Normal’ plants (usually), or switch-plants (occasionally, e.g. Spartochloa, Xerochloa). Leaves well developed, or much reduced (rarely). Annual, or biennial, or perennial; with a basal aggregation of leaves, or with neither basal nor terminal aggregations of leaves. Young stems breaking easily at the nodes, or not breaking easily at the nodes (in bamboos). (0.003–)0.01–30(–40) m high; when perennial, rhizomatous, or tuberous (rarely). Self supporting, or climbing (or decumbent); the climbers stem twiners, or root climbers, or scrambling. Hydrophytic to xerophytic; when hydrophytic, rooted. Leaves of hydrophytes submerged and emergent, or submerged, emergent, and floating. Not heterophyllous (usually), or heterophyllous (occasionally). Leaves evergreen, or deciduous; minute to large; alternate; nearly always initially distichous (very rarely spiral — Micraira, the Orcuttieae); flat, or folded, or rolled, or terete (rarely); ‘herbaceous’ (usually), or leathery, or membranous (rarely); sessile, or petiolate; sheathing. Leaf sheaths tubular; with free margins, or with joined margins. Leaves not gland-dotted; without marked odour (usually), or aromatic (occasionally); simple. Lamina entire; setaceous, or acicular, or linear to obovate; parallel-veined (usually), or pinnately veined to palmately veined (rarely); without cross-venules, or cross-venulate. Leaves nearly always ligulate (though the ligule is often reduced to a fringe of hairs or even to papillae, sometimes lacking on upper leaves, as in Echinochloa, and totally absent from the lilylike leaves of Neostapfia and the Orcuttieae). Lamina margins nearly always entire; flat, or revolute, or involute. Prophylls 1. Leaves with a persistent basal meristem, and basipetal development. Vernation conduplicate, or involute, or revolute, or convolute, or plicate (rarely).
General anatomy. Plants with silica bodies. Chlorenchyma without ‘peg cells’. Accumulated starch other than exclusively ‘pteridophyte type’.
Leaf anatomy. Epidermis nearly always conspicuously differentiated into ‘long’ and ‘short’ cells; nearly always containing silica bodies. Abaxial epidermis papillose, or not papillose. Mucilaginous epidermis absent. Stomata mainly confined to one surface, or on both surfaces; paracytic. Guard-cells ‘grass type’ (inevitably with an exception — Neostapfia). Hairs present, or absent; eglandular, or eglandular and glandular; unicellular, or unicellular and multicellular. Unicellular hairs unbranched. Multicellular hairs uniseriate; unbranched.
Adaxial hypodermis usually absent. Lamina usually dorsiventral; usually without secretory cavities. Cystoliths absent. The mesophyll not containing mucilage cells; usually without calcium oxalate crystals (and never with raphides). Midrib conspicuous, or not conspicuous; with a single bundle, a simple arc, or a ‘complex’. Main veins vertically transcurrent, or embedded. Minor leaf veins without phloem transfer cells (in an unspecified ‘large sample, including Arundinaria’). Vessels present; end-walls simple, or scalariform and simple.
Stem anatomy. Stems with solid internodes, or with spongy internodes, or with hollow internodes (commonly). Young stems cylindrical (usually), or oval in section. Secretory cavities absent. Cork cambium absent. Primary vascular tissue in two or more rings of bundles, or in scattered bundles. Secondary thickening absent. Xylem with vessels. Vessel end-walls simple (usually), or scalariform and simple. Sieve-tube plastids P-type; type II (b).
Root anatomy. Root xylem with vessels. Vessel end-walls simple, or scalariform and simple (then mainly simple).
Reproductive type, pollination. Plants hermaphrodite, or monoecious, or andromonoecious, or gynomonoecious, or dioecious, or androdioecious, or gynodioecious, or polygamomonoecious; viviparous (occasionally), or not viviparous. Floral nectaries absent (nectaries absent). Almost exclusively anemophilous (with possible exceptions in South American forest-floor Olyreae).
Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’ (these consisting of at least one ‘spikelet’); in ‘spikelets’. The terminal inflorescence unit (the spikelet) cymose (e.g. Panicoideae), or racemose (e.g. Pooideae). Inflorescences terminal, or axillary; with 1–50 florets and vestiges grouped into characteristic ‘spikelets’ in association with specialised bracts termed ‘glumes’, ‘lemmas’ and ‘paleas’, the spikelets variously gathered into simple or compound panicles, racemes, spikes, heads or fascicles; with involucral bracts, or without involucral bracts; spatheate, or espatheate. Flowers bracteate (in that the spikelets normally exhibit glumes and lemmas, and the other inflorescence branches are sometimes spatheate or spatheolate); bracteolate (if the palea, when present, is interpreted as a bracteole), or ebracteolate; minute to small. Perigone tube absent. Hypogynous disk absent.
Perianth vestigial (if the lodicules are interpreted as perianth), or absent (the lodicules being sometimes absent); 0, or (1–)2–3(–6); (lodicules) free to joined; 1 whorled.
Androecium (1–)2–3, or 4 (rarely), or 6, or 6–120 (Ochlandra). Androecial members free of the perianth, or adnate; usually free of one another, or coherent (occasionally, the filaments are joined to one another or to the lodicules). Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens (1–)2–3, or 4, or 6–120; filantherous. Anthers basifixed (sagittate); non-versatile; dehiscing via pores, or dehiscing via short slits, or dehiscing via longitudinal slits; extrorse, or introrse, or latrorse; tetrasporangiate. Endothecium developing fibrous thickenings. The endothecial thickenings girdling. Microsporogenesis successive. The initial microspore tetrads isobilateral, or T-shaped, or linear. Anther wall initially with one middle layer; of the ‘monocot’ type. Tapetum glandular. Pollen shed as single grains. Pollen grains aperturate; 1 aperturate; ulcerate. The ulcus operculate; with an annulus. Interapertural exine not scrobiculate. Interapertural interstitium columellate. Pollen grains 3-celled.
Gynoecium theoretically 2(–3) carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synovarious to eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary 1 locular. Styles 1, or 2(–3); free to partially joined; attenuate from the ovary, or from a depression at the top of the ovary; apical, or lateral. Stigmas (1–)2–3; dry type; papillate, or non-papillate; Group I type (usually), or Group II type (rarely, IIB). Placentation basal to parietal (stachysporous, the ovule fused to the adaxial wall). Ovules in the single cavity 1; sessile (usually adnate); non-arillate; (hemi-) campylotropous, or hemianatropous (see Anton de Triquell, 1887); usually bitegmic; tenuinucellate (especially Pooideae), or pseudocrassinucellate (mostly). Outer integument contributing to the micropyle (rarely?), or not contributing to the micropyle (and rarely the integuments are variously reduced or absent). Embryo-sac development Polygonum-type (the ‘Poaceae variant’, i.e. with dividing antipodals). Antipodal cells formed; characteristically proliferating (to 300 or more cells in ‘Sasa paniculata’); ephemeral. Synergids sometimes hooked; haustorial (in danthonioids), or non-haustorial (generally). Endosperm formation nuclear. Embryogeny asterad.
Fruit non-fleshy (usually), or fleshy (occasionally); indehiscent; a caryopsis (usually), or capsular-indehiscent (occasionally, a utricle), or achene-like (not infrequently), or a nut, or a berry. Dispersal unit the fruit, or the inflorescence. Seeds nearly always endospermic. Endosperm not ruminate (very rarely ruminate); not oily. Seeds with starch. Embryo well differentiated. Cotyledons (usually identified with the scutellum) 1. Embryo achlorophyllous (9/13); straight, or bent.
Seedling. Hypocotyl internode absent. Mesocotyl present (e.g. Panicoideae, Chloridoideae), or absent (e.g. Pooideae). Seedling collar conspicuous (in the form of the epiblast), or not conspicuous. Cotyledon hyperphyll compact (reduced to the haustorium within the caryopsis); non-assimilatory. Coleoptile present. Seedling cataphylls present (in some bambusoid genera), or absent (mostly). First leaf dorsiventral. Primary root ephemeral (virtually absent).
Physiology, biochemistry. Cyanogenic, or not cyanogenic. Cynogenic constituents tyrosine-derived. Alkaloids present (sometimes, isoquinoline, pyrrolizidine and indole), or absent. Proanthocyanidins present (rarely, only in Panicoideae and Chloridoideae, and there in only trace amounts), or absent; when present, cyanidin. Flavonols present (only in Glyceria and Melica), or absent (60 genera); when present, quercetin, or kaempferol and quercetin. Ellagic acid absent. Arbutin absent. Saponins/sapogenins present (rarely), or absent. Plants accumulating free oxalates (e.g. Setaria anceps), or not accumulating free oxalates. C3, or C4, or C3 and C4, or C3-C4 intermediate. C3 physiology recorded directly in 366 genera: see Watson and Dallwitz database. C4 physiology recorded directly in 335 genera: see Watson and Dallwitz database. C3-C4 intermediacy in Neurachne minor, Steinchisma (Panicum) decipiens, S. hians (= milioides), S. spathellosum (= schenckii). Anatomy C4 type (in 328 genera), or non-C4 type (in 366 genera).
Geography, cytology. Holarctic, Paleotropical, Neotropical, Cape, Australian, and Antarctic. Frigid zone, temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical. Cosmopolitan.
Taxonomy. Subclass Monocotyledonae. Superorder Commeliniflorae (dubiously); Poales. APG (1998) Monocot; Commelinoid group; Poales. Species about 12000. Genera about 700; Acamptoclados, Achlaena, Achnatherum, Aciachne, Acidosasa, Acostia, Acrachne, Acritochaete, Acroceras, Actinocladum, Aegilops, Aegopogon, Aeluropus, Afrotrichloris, Agenium, Agnesia, Agropyron, Agropyropsis, Agrostis, Aira, Airopsis, Alexfloydia, Alloeochaete, Allolepis, Alloteropsis, Alopecurus, Alvimia, Amblyopyrum, Ammochloa, Ammophila, Ampelodesmos, Amphibromus, Amphicarpum, Amphipogon, Anadelphia, Anadelphia, Ancistrachne, Ancistragrostis, Andropogon, Andropterum, Anemanthele, Aniselytron, Anisopogon, Anomochloa, Anthaenantiopsis, Anthenantia, Anthephora, Anthochloa, Anthoxanthum, Antinoria, Apera, Aphanelytrum, Apluda, Apochiton, Apoclada, Apocopis, Arberella, Arctagrostis, Arctophila, Aristida, Arrhenatherum, Arthragrostis, Arthraxon, Arthropogon, Arthrostylidium, Arundinaria, Arundinella, Arundo, Arundoclaytonia, Asthenochloa, Astrebla, Athroostachys, Atractantha, Aulonemia, Australopyrum, Austrochloris, Austrodanthonia, Austrofestuca, Austrostipa, Avellinia, Avena, Axonopus, Bambusa, Baptorhachis, Bealia, Beckeropsis, Beckmannia, Bellardiochloa, Bewsia, Bhidea, Blepharidachne, Blepharoneuron, Boissiera, Boivinella, Borinda, Bothriochloa, Bouteloua, Brachiaria, Brachyachne, Brachychloa, Brachyelytrum, Brachypodium, Briza, Bromuniola, Bromus, Brylkinia, Buchloë, Buchlomimus, Buergersiochloa, Calamagrostis, Calamovilfa, Calderonella, Calosteca, Calyptochloa, Camusiella, Capillipedium, Castellia, Catabrosa, Catabrosella, Catalepis, Catapodium, Cathestechum, Cenchrus, Centotheca, Centrochloa, Centropodia, Cephalostachyum, Chaboissaea, Chaetium, Chaetobromus, Chaetopoa, Chaetopogon, Chaetostichium, Chamaeraphis, Chandrasekharania, Chasechloa, Chasmanthium, Chasmopodium, Chevalierella, Chikusichloa, Chimonobambusa, Chionachne, Chionochloa, Chloachne, Chloris, Chlorocalymma, Chrysochloa, Chrysopogon, Chumsriella, Chusquea, Cinna, Cladoraphis, Clausospicula, Cleistachne, Cleistochloa, Cliffordiochloa, Cockaynea, Coelachne, Coelachyropsis, Coelachyrum, Coelorachis, Coix, Colanthelia, Coleanthus, Colpodium, Commelinidium, Cornucopiae, Cortaderia, Corynephorus, Cottea, Craspedorhachis, Crinipes, Crithopsis, Crypsis, Cryptochloa, Ctenium, Ctenopsis, Cutandia, Cyathopus, Cyclostachya, Cymbopogon, Cymbosetaria, Cynodon, Cynosurus, Cyperochloa, Cyphochlaena, Cypholepis, Cyrtococcum, Dactylis, Dactyloctenium, Daknopholis, Dallwatsonia, Danthonia, Danthoniastrum, Danthonidium, Danthoniopsis, Dasyochloa, Dasypoa, Dasypyrum, Davidsea, Decaryella, Decaryochloa, Dendrocalamus, Dendrochloa, Deschampsia, Desmazeria, Desmostachya, Deyeuxia, Diandrochloa, Diandrolyra, Diandrostachya, Diarrhena, Dichaetaria, Dichanthelium, Dichanthium, Dichelachne, Diectomis, Dielsiochloa, Digastrium, Digitaria, Digitariopsis, Dignathia, Diheteropogon, Dilophotriche, Dimeria, Dimorphochloa, Dinebra, Dinochloa, Diplachne, Diplopogon, Dissanthelium, Dissochondrus, Distichlis, Drake-Brockmania, Dregeochloa, Dryopoa, Dupontia, Duthiea, Dybowskia, Eccoilopus, Eccoptocarpha, Echinaria, Echinochloa, Echinolaena, Echinopogon, Ectrosia, Ectrosiopsis, Ehrharta, Ekmanochloa, Eleusine, Elionurus, Elymandra, Elymus, Elytrigia, Elytrophorus, Elytrostachys, Enneapogon, Enteropogon, Entolasia, Entoplocamia, Eragrostiella, Eragrostis, Eremium, Eremochloa, Eremopoa, Eremopogon, Eremopyrum, Eriachne, Erianthecium, Erianthus, Eriochloa, Eriochrysis, Erioneuron, Euchlaena, Euclasta, Eulalia, Eulaliopsis, Eustachys, Euthryptochloa, Exotheca, Fargesia, Farrago, Fasciculochloa, Festuca, Festucella, Festucopsis, Fingerhuthia, Froesiochloa, Garnotia, Gastridium, Gaudinia, Gaudiniopsis, Germainia, Gerritea, Gigantochloa, Gilgiochloa, Glaziophyton, Glyceria, Glyphochloa, Gouinia, Gouldochloa, Graphephorum, Greslania, Griffithsochloa, Guaduella, Gymnachne, Gymnopogon, Gynerium, Habrochloa, Hackelochloa, Hainardia, Hakonechloa, Halopyrum, Harpachne, Harpochloa, Helictotrichon, Helleria, Hemarthria, Hemisorghum, Henrardia, Hesperostipa, Heterachne, Heteranthelium, Heteranthoecia, Heterocarpha, Heteropholis, Heteropogon, Hickelia, Hierochloë, Hilaria, Hitchcockella, Holcolemma, Holcus, Homolepis, Homopholis, Homozeugos, Hookerochloa, Hordelymus, Hordeum, Hubbardia, Hubbardochloa, Humbertochloa, Hyalopoa, Hydrochloa, Hydrothauma, Hygrochloa, Hygroryza, Hylebates, Hymenachne, Hyparrhenia, Hyperthelia, Hypogynium, Hypseochloa, Hystrix, Ichnanthus, Imperata, Indocalamus, Indopoa, Indosasa, Isachne, Isalus, Ischaemum, Ischnochloa, Ischnurus, Iseilema, Ixophorus, Jansenella, Jardinea, Jouvea, Joycea, Kampochloa, Kaokochloa, Karroochloa, Kengia, Kengyilia, Kerriochloa, Koeleria, Lagurus, Lamarckia, Lamprothyrsus, Lasiacis, Lasiorhachis, Lasiurus, Lecomtella, Leersia, Lepargochloa, Leptagrostis, Leptaspis, Leptocarydion, Leptochloa, Leptochlo‘psis, Leptocoryphium, Leptoloma, Leptosaccharum, Leptothrium, Lepturella, Lepturidium, Lepturopetium, Lepturus, Leucophrys, Leucopoa, Leymus, Libyella, Limnas, Limnodea, Limnopoa, Lindbergella, Linkagrostis, Lintonia, Lithachne, Littledalea, Loliolum, Lolium, Lombardochloa, Lophacme, Lophatherum, Lopholepis, Lophopogon, Lophopyrum, Lorenzochloa, Loudetia, Loudetiopsis, Louisiella, Loxodera, Luziola, Lycochloa, Lycurus, Lygeum, Maclurolyra, Maillea, Malacurus, Maltebrunia, Manisuris, Megalachne, Megaloprotachne, Megastachya, Melanocenchris, Melica, Melinis, Melocalamus, Melocanna, Merostachys, Merxmuellera, Mesosetum, Metasasa, Metcalfia, Mibora, Micraira, Microbriza, Microcalamus, Microchloa, Microlaena, Micropyropsis, Micropyrum, Microstegium, Mildbraediochloa, Milium, Miscanthidium, Miscanthus, Mnesithea, Mniochloa, Molinia, Monachather, Monanthochloë, Monelytrum, Monium, Monocladus, Monocymbium, Monodia, Mosdenia, Muhlenbergia, Munroa, Myriocladus, Myriostachya, Narduroides, Nardus, Narenga, Nassella, Nastus, Neeragrostis, Neesiochloa, Nematopoa, Neobouteloua, Neohouzeaua, Neostapfia, Neostapfiella, Nephelochloa, Neurachne, Neurolepis, Neyraudia, Notochloë, Notodanthonia, Ochlandra, Ochthochloa, Odontelytrum, Odyssea, Olmeca, Olyra, Ophiochloa, Ophiuros, Opizia, Oplismenopsis, Oplismenus, Orcuttia, Oreobambos, Oreochloa, Orinus, Oropetium, Ortachne, Orthoclada, Oryza, Oryzidium, Oryzopsis, Otachyrium, Otatea, Ottochloa, Oxychloris, Oxyrhachis, Oxytenanthera, Panicum, Pappophorum, Parafestuca, Parahyparrhenia, Paraneurachne, Parapholis, Paratheria, Parectenium, Pariana, Parodiolyra, Pascopyrum, Paspalidium, Paspalum, Pennisetum, Pentameris, Pentapogon, Pentarrhaphis, Pentaschistis, Pereilema, Periballia, Peridictyon, Perotis, Perrierbambus, Perulifera, Petriella, Peyritschia, Phacelurus, Phaenanthoecium, Phaenosperma, Phalaris, Pharus, Pheidochloa, Phippsia, Phleum, Pholiurus, Phragmites, Phyllorhachis, Phyllostachys, Pilgerochloa, Piptatherum, Piptochaetium, Piptophyllum, Piresia, Piresiella, Plagiantha, Plagiosetum, Planichloa, Plectrachne, Pleiadelphia, Pleuropogon, Plinthanthesis, Poa, Pobeguinea, Podophorus, Poecilostachys, Pogonachne, Pogonarthria, Pogonatherum, Pogoneura, Pogonochloa, Pohlidium, Poidium, Polevansia, Polliniopsis, Polypogon, Polytoca, Polytrias, Pommereulla, Porteresia, Potamophila, Pringleochloa, Prionanthium, Prosphytochloa, Psammagrostis, Psammochloa, Psathyrostachys, Pseudanthistiria, Pseudarrhenatherum, Pseudechinolaena, Pseudobromus, Pseudochaetochloa, Pseudocoix, Pseudodanthonia, Pseudodichanthium, Pseudopentameris, Pseudophleum, Pseudopogonatherum, Pseudoraphis, Pseudoroegneria, Pseudosasa, Pseudosorghum, Pseudostachyum, Pseudovossia, Pseudoxytenanthera, Pseudozoysia, Psilathera, Psilolemma, Psilurus, Pterochloris, Ptilagrostis, Puccinellia, Puelia, Racemobambos, Raddia, Raddiella, Ratzeburgia, Redfieldia, Reederochloa, Rehia, Reimarochloa, Reitzia, Relchela, Rendlia, Reynaudia, Rhipidocladum, Rhizocephalus, Rhomboelytrum, Rhynchelytrum, Rhynchoryza, Rhytachne, Richardsiella, Robynsiochloa, Rottboellia, Rytidosperma, Saccharum, Sacciolepis, Sartidia, Sasa, Saugetia, Schaffnerella, Schedonnardus, Schenckochloa, Schismus, Schizachne, Schizachyrium, Schizostachyum, Schmidtia, Schoenefeldia, Sclerachne, Sclerochloa, Sclerodactylon, Scleropogon, Sclerostachya, Scolochloa, Scribneria, Scrotochloa, Scutachne, Secale, Sehima, Semiarundinaria, Sesleria, Sesleriella, Setaria, Setariopsis, Shibataea, Silentvalleya, Simplicia, Sinarundinaria, Sinobambusa, Sinochasea, Sitanion, Snowdenia, Soderstromia, Sohnsia, Sorghastrum, Sorghum, Spartina, Spartochloa, Spathia, Sphaerobambos, Sphaerocaryum, Spheneria, Sphenopholis, Sphenopus, Spinifex, Spodiopogon, Sporobolus, Steinchisma, Steirachne, Stenotaphrum, Stephanachne, Stereochlaena, Steyermarkochloa, Stiburus, Stilpnophleum, Stipa, Stipagrostis, Streblochaete, Streptochaeta, Streptogyna, Streptolophus, Streptostachys, Styppeiochloa, Sucrea, Suddia, Swallenia, Swallenochloa, Symplectrodia, Taeniatherum, Taeniorhachis, Tarigidia, Tatianyx, Teinostachyum, Tetrachaete, Tetrachne, Tetrapogon, Tetrarrhena, Thamnocalamus, Thaumastochloa, Thelepogon, Thellungia, Themeda, Thinopyrum, Thrasya, Thrasyopsis, Thuarea, Thyridachne, Thyridolepis, Thyrsia, Thyrsostachys, Thysanolaena, Torreyochloa, Tovarochloa, Trachypogon, Trachys, Tragus, Tribolium, Tricholaena, Trichoneura, Trichopteryx, Tridens, Trikeraia, Trilobachne, Triniochloa, Triodia, Triplachne, Triplasis, Triplopogon, Tripogon, Tripsacum, Triraphis, Triscenia, Trisetum, Tristachya, Triticum, Tsvelevia, Tuctoria, Uniola, Uranthoecium, Urelytrum, Urochloa, Urochondra, Vahlodea, Vaseyochloa, Ventenata, Vetiveria, Vietnamochloa, Vietnamosasa, Viguierella, Vossia, Vulpia, Vulpiella, Wangenheimia, Whiteochloa, Willkommia, Xerochloa, Yakirra, Ystia, Yushania, Yvesia, Zea, Zenkeria, Zeugites, Zingeria, Zizania, Zizaniopsis, Zonotriche, Zoysia, Zygochloa.
Clayton and Renvoize (1986); Watson and Dallwitz (1994). Clifford (1987) reviewed spikelet and floral morphology. For interactive identification and information retrieval, and comprehensive html generic descriptions, see Watson and Dallwitz (1998), ‘Grass Genera of the World’, available online at HTTP://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/grass/index.htm.
Economic uses, etc. Economically the most important of families — cereals, sugarcane, fodder and pasture, alcohol, thatching, matting, bamboo construction work, etc.
Illustrations. • Pooideae-Triticodae. • Pooideae-Aveneae. • Pooideae-Meliceae. • Pooideae - Poeae. • Pooideae - Poeae, Glycerieae. • Arundinoideae - Sieglingia, Molinia. • Bouteloua (spikelet clusters). • Holcus - spikelet details. • Technical details (Avena, Triticum). • Technical details (Avena, Anthoxanthum, Triticum, Deschampsia, Oryza, Tripsacum). • Technical details (Luziola, Anomochloa, Glyceria, Panicum, Sorghum, Coix, Gynerium). • Caryopses (Bromus, Saccharum, Zea, Lolium, Secale, Sporobolus, Tragus, Rottboellia, Stipa). • Technical details (Bambusa, Aegilops). • bromus10.gif. • pennis15.gif. • Axonopus affinis - abaxial epidermis of leaf blade. • Pennisetum villosum - transverse section of C4 leaf blade.
Quotations
Sea-grass, Eel-grass, Nut-grass and Knot-grass
Are
not Grass.
(anon)
I am no great Nebuchadnezzar, sir;
I have not much
skill in grass
(‘All’s Well’, iv., 5 - but ‘grass’
here probably means green herbaceous vegetation in general)
When Phoebe doth
behold
Her silvery visage in the watery glass,
Decking with liquid pearl
the bladed grass
(‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’, i., 1)
Her
foes shake like a field of beaten corn,
And hang their heads with sorrow
(‘Henry the Eighth’, v., 1)
When shepherds pipe on oaten
straws,
And merry larks are ploughmen’s clocks
(‘Love’s
Labour’s Lost’, end - these little pipes having been used from ancient
times, as mentioned by Ovid and Virgil)
His tears run down his beard, like
winter’s drops
From eaves of reeds
(‘Tempest’, v., 1)
Among the tawny tasseled reed
The ducks and ducklings float and feed
(John Clare c.1834, ‘The Fens’ — Phragmites)
On
either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe
the wold and meet the sky
(Tennyson, ‘The Lady of Shalott’)
Cite this publication as: ‘L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The Families of Flowering Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 14th December 2000. http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/’. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000), and Watson and Dallwitz (1991) should also be cited (see References).
