1. Poaceae and Cyperaceae
Dr. Prachi P. Kshirsagar
Agharkar Research Institute, Pune

2. Introduction to Grasses (Poaceae)
Also known as Graminae (Grass family, True grass)
Largest family of economic and ecological importance
In India 268 genera and 1200 species of grasses
Grasslands occupy 25% of earths vegetation
Distributed in all continents and in all climatic zone (Arctic, Antartic and Ice covered zone)
Grow in marshes, deserts, prairies, woodlands, on sands, rocks, in all soil types and from sea level to highest elevation
Most successful life form on earth
Important component in food chain
Annuals or perennials
Few centimeter herbs to 25 feet bamboos
Tolerable to long period of drought

3. Introduction to Grasses (Poaceae)
Roots always fibrous (arises from lower node), stilt roots present in some grasses e.g. zea mays
Rhizome – underground stem
Stolon – creeping stolon
Stem (Culm) – Aerial stem are hollow or flattend with hollow internode and solid node
Nodes hairy or glabrous

4. Leaves composed of three part
Leaves born in two rows alternately along the culm at the nodes.
Leaves composed of three part
a. Leaf Sheath – originates from node of the stem and surrounds the culm
b. Leaf Blade – linear lanceolate with parallel venation
c. Ligule – thin membranous or fringe of hairs at the junction of sheath and blade

5. open sheath
ligule

6. GRASS FLOWER
The grass flower is very small, inconspicuous and reduced. It consists of gynoecium, androecium and lodicules. The flower has two tiny basal scales called lodicules (reduced perianth).
Glumes, rachilla and one to many florets together form a spikelet
Rachilla – central axis on which florets borne
Glumes – Pair of bract present at the base of spikelet
Spikelet
Florets

7. GRASS FLOWER
Floret
In between Lemma and Palae, a single flower is located
Spikelet
These tiny flowers are protected by two bracts, lower is the lemma and upper is the palea.
Awns are present on Lemma
The flower with its lemma and palea is called a floret.
The floret is always 1-flowered with one lemma and one palea (sometimes palea may be absent).

8. GRASS FLOWER
Floret
Flower
Spikelet

9. GRASS FLOWER
Floret
Flower
Spikelet
1st glume
Pedicel

10. Flowers of Grasses
Glume

11. Spikelet - Diagrammatic
Flower
Spikelet

12. Fruit of Grass Commonly known as ‘Grain’
Caryopsis - dry, indehiscent, 1 seeded fruit
Commonly known as ‘Grain’

13. Importance of Grasses
1. Agricultural grains (most important food in world):
barley (Hordeum)
corn (Zea)
oats (Avena)
rice (Oryza)
rye (Secale)
wheat (Triticum);
2. Forage and grazing plants;
3. Important components of many ecosystems, such as grasslands and savannahs.
4. Grasses are good soil binders
5. Some grasses have medicinal value
6. Some grasses yield essential oil e.g. Tikhadi
7. Also useful in paper making and in some miscellaneous uses e.g. matting, making ropes, furniture, stuffing for pillow, brooms and musical instrument.
8. Grasses constitute major ground cover and make significant contribution to biomass production.

14. Introduction to Sedges (Cyperacea)
Grass like herbaceous plants mostly found in wet regions.
Annual, or biennial, or perennial
Members are distributed throughout all the continents except Antarctica.
Diversity is far greater in tropical regions
occurs in all habitats except extreme deserts and marine and deep-water ecosystems
Sedges love sunny, moist to wet habitats such as fresh and salt marshes, pond and lakeshores, meadows, bogs, fens, wet prairies and savannas, and moist to wet tundra
Few sedges are crop plants e.g. Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis), yellow nut sedge (Cyperus esculentus) in Africa (Tuber edible)

15. Introduction to Sedges (Cyperacea)
Used in weaving mats, baskets, screens, and sandals because of their strong, fibrous stems and leaves (Cyperus tagestes grown in India)
People on Titicaca Lake, in the Andes, use tatora (Schoenoplectus tatora) to construct small boats called balsas for traversing the lake
Cyperus papyrus was used in ancient Egypt for making paper and for constructing boats
The ecological importance of sedges is extraordinary.
Plays important role in succession
Important component in wetland produces bulk food for aquatic animals (Tubers and fruits)
Large stands of sedges are also critical as cover for many wetland animals.

16. Cyperaceae - Morphology
Sedges range in size from less than 1 centimetre (e.g. Eleocharis ) to a height of 5 metres in papyrus. Some species of Scleria, are scrambling vines up to 10 metres long. A few species of Gahnia have woody stems, and West African Microdracoides squamosus is a woody shrub up to 1.5 metres tall.
Stem with a basal aggregation of leaves (usually), or with neither basal nor terminal aggregations of leaves.
Roots rhizomatous or tuberous.
Leaves alternate; spiral (rarely), or distichous (often), or tristichous (usually); flat, or folded (and occasionally plicate), or rolled.
Leaf sheaths closed.
Leaves simple, ligulate (commonly), or eligulate.
Lamina entire parallel-veined

17. Cyperaceae – whole plant

18. Cyperaceae - Flower
Flowers are arranged in spikelets somewhat as in grasses, and these again in larger spike-like or panicled inflorescences
Flowers are often unisexual, are wind-pollinated
Flowers bracteate, or ebracteate; bracteolate (each borne in the axil of a ‘glume’); usually small, or minute.
Perianth of ‘tepals’(represented by bristles or hairs), or absent; when present, often 6, free
Androecium 1–3, or 4–6(–22). Androecial members free of the perianth; free of one another (usually)
Gynoecium 2 carpelled, or 3 – 4 carpelled, syncarpous; Styles 2–3; free to partially joined. Stigmas 1–2, or 3–15

19. Cyperaceae - Flower

20. Cyperaceae – schematic representation of spikelet

21. First scale on a lateral spikelet is prophyll (Bracteole)
Spikelet consist of a spikelet axis (rachila) and few to numerous spirally or distichously arranged glumes, each subtending one unisexual or bisexual flower
First scale on a lateral spikelet is prophyll (Bracteole)
Internodes between prophyll and second glume is epipodium
Proximal glume
Prophyll

24. Cyperaceae - Fruit
Fruit non-fleshy; indehiscent achene-like, or a drupe (very rarely), 1 seeded, endospermic.

25. Difference Between Poaceae and Cyperaceae
Family
Stem
Leaves
Flower
Fruit
Poaceae
Rounded, hollow at internodes
Ligulate, sheaths open, 2 ranked
Modified into glumes, lemmas and paleas
Caryopsis
Cyperaceae
3 – sided, solid
Sheath closed, 3 ranked
Scales
Achene

26. Difference between stem
Poaceae
Poaceae
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae

28. CYPERACEAE Cyperus alternifolius Cyperus polystichus Carex amphibola
Cyperus rotundus

29. Sedges have edges Rushes are round Grasses have nodes from the top to the ground

30. THANK YOU