Family PoaceaeBio 103.2 Fundamentals of Plant Biology Laboratory

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Angiosperms

Monocots

Poales

Poaceae

Poaceae

Formerly known as Gramineae Usually called grasses Has 12 subfamilies, about 600 genera, and some 10,000 or

more species Plant communities dominated by Poaceae are called

grasslands Often considered to be the most important of all plant

families to human economies: it includes the staple food grains and cereal crops grown around the world, lawn and forage grasses, and bamboo, which is widely used for construction

Grass Structure A. Diagram of a typical lawn grass plant.

B. Parts of a spikelet.C. Grass Flowers.A

B

C

Species under Family Poaceae1. Asian Rice (Oryza sativa) - Extensively cultivated throughout the Philippines but

not a native of the Archipelago, although of prehistoric introduction. The rice plant is enormously variable and probably several hundred distinct cultural forms occur in the Archipelago. 

A mixture of brown, white, and red indica rice, also containing wild rice, Zizania species

2. Maize or Corn (Zea mays) - Introduced from America. Extensively cultivated in most parts of the Philippines, in some islands and provinces a staple article of food. 

Glass Gem CornZea mays

3. Bamboo (Bambusa blumeana) - The most common and conspicuous bamboo at low and medium altitudes throughout the settled areas. The species very rarely flowers and then usually only when clumps have been severely injured by fire or by too extensive cutting. The only spiny bamboo in the Philippines.

4. Sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) - Cultivated throughout the Philippines, in some islands and provinces very extensively, being one of the major crops of the Philippines. Not a native of the Archipelago.

4. Oat (Avena sativa) - grown for its seed. While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats , one of the most common uses is as livestock feed.

5. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) - Native to Mediterranean and SW Asia. Formerly cultivated in certain provinces in LUZON, now planted to a limited extent in N LUZON. Raw wheat can be ground into flour and planted to a limited extent as a forage crop for livestock, and its straw can be used as a construction material for roofing thatch.

6. Reed (Phragmites karka) - LUZON: Ilocos Norte, Mountain Province, Bataan, Laguna, Camarines, PALAWAN, NEGROS, CEBU, MINDANAO, TURTLE ISLS. Along slow streams and margins of lakes at low and medium altitudes, often forming dense thickets. The common reed is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world.

7. Meadow-grass (Poa annua) – Common in open waste places. Many of the species are important pasture plants, used extensively by grazing livestock.

8. Zoysia grass (Zoysia matrella) – Is a genus of creeping grasses originally from sandy beaches, now commonly cultivated as a lawn grass. Also occurring in open places chiefly along or near tidal streams. LUZON, HERMANA MAYOR, PANIQUIAN, MINDORO, PALAWAN, PANAY, CEBU, MINDANAO.

9. Italian Millet (Setaria italica) - Asia, formerly widely cultivated. Very rarely cultivated in the Philippines, and nowhere spontaneous. Seen in BATAN, LUZON, MINDANAO, MINDORO, NEGROS. SULU. widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for both human food and fodder.

10. Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon) - widely planted as a lawn grass and are valued for their drought tolerance compared to most other lawn grasses. Throughout the Philippines: LUZON, MINDORO, BUSUANGA, GUIMARAS, CEBU, BILIRAN, MINDANAO, SULU. Along roadsides, fallow rice paddies, waste places, pastures, etc. at low and medium altitudes.

End.

References:• Philippineplant.org• Princeton.edu/poaceae• Theplantlist.org