The document summarizes key details about the Poaceae (grass) family. It notes that Poaceae is one of the largest plant families, includes important cereal crops like wheat and rice, and has species that are significant sources of food, fuel, medicine and other uses. The document describes morphological features of Poaceae, including their herbaceous habit, leaves with sheathing bases and ligules, spikelet inflorescences, and highly reduced flowers. It outlines their economic and ecological significance.

3. Presented By:- Mehreen Hameed
BS Botany 5th semester
Roll no Bot-15-21

4. Mehreen Hameed
B.S Botany
 5TH Semester
 Bot-15-21

5.  The Poaceae name was given by John
Hendley Barnhart in 1895, based on the
tribe Poeae (described in 1814 by Robert
Brown), and the type genus Poa (described
in 1753 by Linnaeus).
 The term is derived from the Ancient Greek
πόα (póa, “Grass”).

6.  Formerly known as Gramineae
 Usually called grass family
 Has 12 subfamilies, about 525 genera, and
10,000 or more species
 In Pakistan family is represented by 158
genera and 492 species
 Includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the
grasses of natural grassland and cultivated
lawns (turf) and pasture.
 All the cereal crops and about 75% of the
species used as forages are grasses

7.  Division: Phanerogams
 SUB-Division: Angiosperms
 Class: Monocotyledons
 Sub-Class: Commelinidae
 Series: Glumaceae
 Order: Poales
 Family: Poaceae (Gramineae)

8.  Cosmopolitan
 5th largest plant family, following the
Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Fabaceae and
Rubiaceae
 2nd largest among monocotyledons
 Cereals and Grasses (25% of vegetation)
 Grasslands such as savannah and prairie
where grasses are dominant are estimated
to constitute 40.5% of the land area of the
Earth

9.  Habit.
Mainly herbs [annuals (Oryza) or perennials
(Sacharum)] or shrubs, rarely trees like
(Bambusa, Dendrocalamus).

10.  Root.
Adventitious , Fibrous , branched or stilt (as
in maize).

11.  Stem
 Stem of grasses is called a culm
 It is usually fistula or hollow ; cylindrical,
distinct nodes and internodes, herbaceous or
woody.
 Sometimes, forms rhizome or runner.

12.  Leaf
 Sessile, simple, alternate or distichous,
exstipulate, leaf base sheathing, ligulate;
lamina narrow & ribbon shaped, amplexicaul
or semi amplexicaul, leaf blade and sheath
hairy or smooth, parallel venation.

13. Distichous Alternate

14.  Inflorescence
 Spikelets which may be Spike of spikelets or
panicles of spiklets
 Spike of spikelets: The spiklets form dense
clusters in sessile manner on main axis as in
wheat.
 Panicles of spikelets: The spiklets are
arranged on a branched axis-panicle as in
oat.

16.  Flower
 Small, Bracteates, Bracteolate (Lemma &
Palea), Sessile, Usually Bisexual (Oryza) ,rarely
Unisexual (Zea), Hypogynous, Zygomorphic .

17.  Perianth:
 Absent or sometime 2 or 3 scale like lodicules
are present; free, valvate
 Androecium
 stamens are usually 3, but in Bambusa and
Oryza stamens are 6 , arranged in 2 whorls of
3, numerous in Pariana; polyandrous
 Anthers are dithecous , versatile, introse;
dehiscence longitudinally

18.  Gynoecium
 Bi or tricarpellary, though only one is
functional, syncarpous; unilocular, single
ovule, basal placentation; Styles usually 2
(rarely 1 or 3 0r absent) and 3 in Bambusa;
Stigmas are 2 and feathery

19.  Fruits
 Caryopsis rarely a nut (Dendrocalamus) or a
berry (Bambusa).
 Seed: Endospermic
 Pollination :Wind pollination.
Berry
Caryopsis

22.  Food: This family consists of the most
important food plants called cereals
 Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
 Rice (Oryza sativa )
 Maize (zea mays)
 Barley (Hordeum vulgare)
 Oats (Avena sativa)

23.  Use as food of animals, e.g fodder for cattle
and sheeps etc
 Lemon grass is also taken as tea and good for
health and their leaves are important curry
ingredient.

24.  Industrial uses:
 Manufacturing of paper (Bambusa and
dendrocalamus)
 Sugar is obtanied
 Biofuel production
 Making of wood wind
Instruments.
 Ethyl alcohol and many other beverages are
prepared form cereals. For example, wine is
prepared from rye, corn and rum molasses
form sugar cane.

25.  Medicinal
 Roots of Vetiveria zizanioides are medicinal
and give a pleasant scent.
 Bambusa leaves are given to horses for
curing cough and cold.
 Setaria italica is diuretic.
 Valuable perfumery oils are obtained from
Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass) and
Andropogon odonatus (ginger grass)
 Ornamental : Cynodon (Bermuda grass) ,
Agrostis (florin grass) , Poa (meadow grass)
and Festuca (festuca grass) are grown in
lawns.

26.  Spinifex littorecus is useful sand-binder on
seashore.
 The stone bracts of coix lacryma ( job’s tears)
are strung into necklace.
Spinifex littorcus
coix lachryma

27.  Cereals
o Triticum aestivum (wheat)

28. o Hordeum vulgare (Barley)

29. o Zea mays (Maize)

30. o Oryza sativa (Rice)

31. o Avena sativum (Oat)

32.  Millets
o Sorghum vulgare (Jawar)

33. o Pennisetum typhoides (Bajra)

34.  Grasses
o Cynodon dactylon (Dog grass)
o Andropogon muricatus (Khas grass-oil
yielding)
Andropogon
muricatus
Cynodon
dactylon

35. o Bambusa vulgans

36. o Saccharum officinarum (Sugarcane plant)

37.  Mostly annual herbs with fistular stem
 Leaves distichous with sheathing bases and
ligule
 Inflorescence unit is a spikelet
 Perianth is reduced to lodicules or even
absent
 Anthers are versatile
 Stigma are feathery
 Fruit is caryopsis

38.  Herbaceous , annual or perennial habit
 Exstipulate leaves with sheathing bases and
ligules
 Flowers arranged in distinct inflorescence
called spikelet
 Highly reduced , inconspicuous and
zygomorphic flowers
 Perianth is represented by lodicules
 Reduction in the number of stamens to three
 Monocarpellary and unilocular ovary with a
single ovule on basal placenta
 Fruit is a caryopsis