1. Grass, Sedge, Rush, or Something Else?

2. CharacterPoaceaeCyperaceaeJuncaceae Leaves2-ranked, flat, non-channelled3-ranked, flat, channelled 2 to many ranked, flat or terete, sometimes channelled Ligule usually present (sometimes obscure)absent Stem cross-sectionterete, some compressedtriangular to rounded edgesterete Internodeshollow or solidsolidsolid, w/ septae Inflorescence spikelets in panicles, racemes, or spikes spikelet in racemes, panicles, or spikes panicles, heads, corymbs, solitary Flowers/florets floret of lemma, palea; usually tiny scales 3-merous chaffy scales, or bristles 3-merous w/ 6 scale-like perianth parts (drab lilies) Stigma22-33 Anthersattached above base; flexibleattached at base, inflex.attached at base Fruits caryopsis grain (thin pericarp fused to seed coat; loose in Sporobolus) achene or nutlet, often lenticular or trigonous, style sometimes persistentloculicidal capsule Seeds1-seeded multiple seeded Habitatmostly terrestialterrestrial and emergent

3. Cyperaceae Juncaceae Poaceae

4. Juncus Luzula Schoenoplectus Rhynchospora Carex Eriophorum Cyperus

6. HOW IMPORTANT IS THE GRASS FAMILY? The grass family is the 4 th largest of all plant families. Worldwide, about 11,000 species from 700 genera comprise Poaceae. -The FNA recognizes 10 subfamilies, 25 tribes, 236 genera, and 1,373 wild and cultivated species. -Native to the region are all 10 subfamilies, 22 tribes, 136 genera, and 892 species. No plant family comes close to Poaceae in its importance to world agriculture. Wheat (Triticum aestivum), rice (Oryza sativa), corn (Zea mays), oat (Avena sativa), rye (Secale cereale), barley (Hordeum vulgare), and the many species of sorghum and millet provide the grains which are the staff of life for nearly all of the peoples on earth. Many species of range and pasture grasses, in addition to the grains listed above, are used for livestock forage and feed. Turf and ornamental grasses are used and appreciated for their durability and beauty throughout the world (the namesake for the grass family, Poa, is the genus from which current cultivated varieties of bluegrass have been developed). Finally, grasses such as bamboo lend their service for construction and plumbing in many countries. Grasslands cover 35-40% of terrestrial portions of the globe excluding Antarctica and are important in most habitat types.

7. More than half of the basic nutrition for humans comes from the Poaceae, and especially rice, wheat, and corn. More than half of the basic nutrition for humans comes from the Poaceae, especially these three crops: rice, wheat, and corn.

9. Some Ligule Types

10. Characters most important in identification include features of the spikelet (size, plane of compression, features of glumes and lemmas, number of florets, and presence of awns). Grass spikelet Grass floret

11. lemma

12. There are two broad categories of grasses with regard to the presence or absence of horizontal rhizomes. Grasses with rhizomes are called sod forming grasses, while those that lack rhizomes are called clump grasses. Vegetatively, grasses have several features. The stems are round in cross section, the internodes are hollow, the nodes are solid, the leaves are flat and 2-ranked, the bases of the leaves have an open sheath that encircles the stem, and there is often a ligule present at the juncture of the sheath and the leaf blade. bunch

13. 22 species (about 10%), 16 genera (about 16%)

14. One helpful past aid at learning grasses was learning them according to the subfamily rank of Tribes – but these turn out to be unnatural, polyphyletic groupings based on morphological characteristics, particularly architecture of the inflorescence and spikelets Nevertheless, it may be helpful to review some examples Modern systematists recognize 12 subfamilies according to phylogenetic order

15. The most recent classification of the grass family recognizes twelve subfamilies: AnomochlooideaeAnomochlooideae, a small lineage of broad-leaved grasses that includes two genera (Anomochloa, Streptochaeta) PharoideaePharoideae, a small lineage of grasses that includes three genera, including Pharus and Leptaspis PuelioideaePuelioideae, a small lineage that includes the African genus Puelia. PooideaePooideae, including wheat, barley, oats, brome-grass (Bromus), reed-grasses (Calamagrostis),wheatbarleyoatsBromus Poa w/ about 500 species, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres.Poaspecies BambusoideaeBambusoideae, including bamboobamboo EhrhartoideaeEhrhartoideae, including rice, wild ricericewild rice ArundinoideaeArundinoideae, including giant reed, common reedgiant reedcommon reed CentothecoideaeCentothecoideae, a small subfamily of 11 genera that is sometimes included in Panicoideae ChloridoideaeChloridoideae, including the lovegrasses (Eragrostis, ca. 350 species, including teff), dropseeds (Sporobolus, some 160 species), finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.), and the muhly grasses (Muhlenbergia, ca. 175 species)tefffinger millet PanicoideaePanicoideae, including panic grass, maize, sorghum, sugar cane, most millets, fonio, andpanic grassmaizesorghumsugar canemilletsfonio bluestem grasses Aristidoideae, including Aristida DanthonioideaeDanthonioideae, including pampas grasspampas grass