The document provides information about the order Poales. It discusses the systematic position of Poales, introducing it as a large order of monocots including families like grasses, bromeliads, and sedges. It describes 16 families within Poales and divides them into 3 groups: the grass group containing 7 families including Poaceae; the cattail group containing Typhaceae and Sparganiaceae; and the sedge group containing Cyperaceae, Juncaceae, and Thurniaceae. It highlights some economically important plants from Poaceae like wheat, millet and sugarcane and discusses the floral structures, affinities and importance of key families like Poaceae, Typhaceae and Cyperaceae.

1. ORDER : POALES
Presented by,
Tina Kalita
Ranamantu Das
Jyotirmay Nath
Rajashree Nath
Krishna Ram Basumatary

2. CONTENTS
 Systematic position
 Introduction
 Salient features
 Groups & families
 Affinities
 Range of floral structures
 Economic importance

3. SYSTEMATIC POSITION
According to APG III System ( 2009 )
Domain:Eukaryota
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Tracheophytes
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Monocots
Clade:Commelinids
Order:Poales

4. INTRODUCTION
 The Poales are a large order of flowering plants in
the monocotyledons, and includes families of plants
such as the grasses, bromeliads, and sedges.
 The APG III system (2009) accepts the order within
a monocot clade called commelinids, and accepts
the 16 families.
Common wheat (Triticum aestivum)

5. SALIENT FEATURES
 The flowers are typically small, enclosed by bracts.
 They are arranged in inflorescences (except in three species of the genus Mayaca ,
which possess very reduced, one-flowered inflorescences)
 The flowers of many species are wind pollinated; the seeds usually contain starch.
 The order consists of several lineages that have traditionally been recognized as
groups, the members of which have often migrated from one group to another.
 This order can be divided into 3 groups - grass group, cattail group and sedge
group.

6. 16 FAMILIES UNDER POALES :
 Anarthriaceae
 Bromeliaceae
 Cyperaceae
 Ecdeiocoleaceae
 Eriocaulaceae
 Flagellariaceae
 Joinvilleaceae
 Juncaceae
 Mayacaceae
 Poaceae
 Rapateaceae
 Restionaceae (including Centrolepidaceae)
 Thurniaceae
 Typhaceae
 Xyridaceae

7. GROUPS AND FAMILIES
 GRASS GROUP
 The seven families that make up the grass group
within Poales are Poaceae , Restionaceae ,
Centrolepidaceae , Anarthriaceae , Ecdeiocoleaceae
, Flagellariaceae and Joinvilleaceae .
 Generally, plants in the group exhibit reduced
(simplified) flowers with a one- to three-chambered
ovary containing only one pendulous ovule per
chamber.
 There are one to three stamens (male pollen-
producing structures) in all .
 This latter family, which has a single genus and four
species, also differs in being composed of climbers
with elongate leaves ending in a tendril, by which
they climb. Pollination is mostly by wind. The
associated Joinvilleaceae are hollow-stemmed
reedlike herbs of the Malaysian and Pacific regions. Avena sativa

8. POACEAE
Distribution of Poaceae:
 The family is commonly known as grass family. It is
one of the largest among the angiospermic
families. It consists of 620 genera and 6,000
species. The members are cosmopolitan in
distribution. The plants represent all the 3
ecological types as hydrophytes, xerophytes and
mesophytes. In India it is represented by 850
species.
Characters of Poaceae:
 Mostly herbs, stem jointed, fistular, cylindrical;
leaves simple, alternate, sheathing, sheath open,
ligulate; inflorescence compound spike; flowers
zygomorphic, hypogynous, protected by palea;
perianth represented by 2 or 3 minute scales
(lodicules); stamens 3, versatile; carpel one, style
2 or 3, stigmas feathery, basal placentation; fruit
caryopsis; testa fused with pericarp.

9. CATTAIL GROUP
 The cattails comprise two families
(Sparganiaceae and Typhaceae) and
two genera (Sparganium and Typha) of
erect or floating marsh, pond, and
streamside plants found mainly in
temperate and cold regions of the
Northern and Southern hemispheres.
 The two families are closely related
and have similar technical characters,
including separate petalless, wind-
pollinated male and female flowers in
dense inflorescences (clusters), but the
plants differ significantly in
appearance.
Typha angustifolia L.

10. TYPHACEAE
Distribution of Typhaceae:
 Small family of monotypic genus –
Typha and with 15-20 species, which
are distributed both in temperate and
tropical regions.
Characters of Typhaceae:
 Herb tall of marshy places, perennial,
leaves erect, linear, distichous, thick
and spongy; flowers monoecious,
minute, densely crowded in cylindrical
bracteate spikes; perianth of 5 hair or
O; male flower with stamens 2-5,
filament capillary, anther erect, bi-
celled; female flower – ovary 1,
unilocular; fruits nutlets; seeds
endospermic

11. SEDGE GROUP
 The three families of the sedge group
are Cyperaceae, Juncaceae,
and Thurniaceae.
 The flowers of these families are
usually small, greenish, and bisexual,
and they are crowded into dense
terminal or lateral clusters.
 The members of this group are
pollinated typically by the wind. The
plants grow from a horizontal or upright
rootstock that produces one leafy
shoot annually.
Carex sp.

12. CYPERACEAE
Distribution of Cyperaceae:
 The family is commonly known as ‘Sedge
family’. It is distributed throughout the world
but most abundant in temperate zones. It
comprises 70 genera and 4000 species. In
India it is represented by 441 species.
Characters of Cyperaceae:
 Plants usually herbs with 3 angled stem,
solid culm; leaves with entire sheathing
base not split on one side; flowers in
spikelets of cymes, subtended by a single
glume, naked or with perianth of scales or
hairs; stamens 1 to 3; carpels 2 or 3, ovary
superior, unilocular with single basal ovule;
fruit an achene or nut, seed endospermic.

13. RANGE OF FLORAL STRUCTURE :
 Poales is an order which has variety of families and thus it also has a
variety in floral structures also.The inflorescence of poales is usually
spike or a penicle of spikelets.
 Each spikelets consists of one or few flower and its base includes two
empty bracts which is also known as glumes.
 A third glume,called lemma stand opposite to the second glume,the
lemma enclses a flower in its axil.
 It may have bristle like appendage known as awn.
 Opposite to the lemma,there is smaller glume called palea.the spikelet
may be sessile or stalked.

14. FIG-A SPIKE OF POALES

15. AFFINITIES :
Affinities of Poaceae:
 The family Poaceae (Gramineae) closely resembles the family Cyperaceae and the two
families have been placed in same order Glumiflorae by Engler and Prantl, and
Glumaceae by Bentham and Hooker. Hutchinson (1964), Butzin (1965) and Takhtajan
(1969) placed the families into 2 separate orders, the Cyperales and Graminales on the
basis of many differences viz., 1. leaf sheath, 2. jointed and unjointed stem, 3. single
bract and lemma and palea, 4. seed coat etc.
 Cronquist (1968) considered that the families are also related on account of some
chemical data. Hegnauer (1963) has also supported the same view.
 Hutchinson (1959) believes that the origin of Grasses i.e., the family Poaceae
(Gramineae) took place on parallel line with Cyperaceae through Juncaceae which was
derived directly from Liliforean stock.

16. Affinities of Typhaceae:
 Bentham and Hooker placed the family in the series Nudiflorae while Engler and Rendle
placed it in series Pandanales. According to Engler and Rendle it is the first and most
primitive in the Monocotyledons because of simple unisexual flowers consisting of one for few
essential organs; where as Hutchinson placed it in separate order Typhales with
Sparganiceae after Arales, he regards Typhales as very reduced order derived from Liliaceae
on parallel line with Araceae. Typhaceae has some affinity with Araecae.
Affinities of Cyperaceae:
 The family Cyperaceae closely resembles Poaceae (Gramineae), hence most of the
taxonomists have included it with Poaceae (Gramineae) under Glumiflorae. Hutchinson and
Wettestein placed the family Cyperaceae in a separate monotypic order Cyperales and
considered it to have been derived from the members of Juncales or Juncaceae on parallel
line with Poaceae (Gramineae).
 Snell, R.S. (1936) and Blasser, H.W. (1940) indicated that Cyperaceae is not related to
Poaceae (Gramineae).

17. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE :
Importance of Poaceae:
Food:
 Triticum aestivum, Oryza sativa, Zea mays (Maize), Hordeum vulgare (Jaw), Sorghum vulgare (Jowar), Avena
sativa (Oats), Pennisetum typhoides (Bajra) are cultivated for cereals and food grains.
Fodder:
 Many grasses as Cynodon dactylon, Panicum, Cymbopogon, Agrostis, Poa are grown for fodder.
 Saccharum officinarum (Sugarcane; H. Ganna) is cultivated for gur and sugar.
Aromatic grasses:
 Many grasses yield scented oils which are used in perfumery viz. Vetiveria zizanioides (H. Khus khus) yields
vetiver oil from the roots. The roots are also woven into curtains. Andropogon odoratus (Ginger grass),
Cymbopogon citratus (Lemon grass), Cymbopogon martini (Geranium grass), Cymbopogon jawarancusa etc.
also yield oil.
Medicinal:
 Phragmites karka, Cymbopogon schoenanthus etc. are medicinal.
 Secale cereale is cultivated for infection of its inflorescence by Claviceps purpurea for production of Ergot and
for extraction of ergotine. Ergotine is an excellent remedy for uterine contraction.
Paper:
 It is manufactured from certain species of grasses and bamboos.

18. IMPORTANCE OF TYPHACEAE:
 The root stock of T. angustata is astringent and diuretic. The down of the ripe fruit of T. elephantina
is used as an application to wounds and ulcers, which acts as a medicated cotton. The root stocks
are used in measels, dysentery and gonorrhoea. The stamens and pollen grains of T. laxmanni are
astringent and styptic.
 The leaves of T. elephantina are used for thatching. The leaves of T. latifolia are used to
manufacture baskets, mats, and seats of chair. According to Cook (1958) the flowers of T.
angustata are used in the preparation of a yellow cake called Bur and is eaten by the natives all
over Sind area.
Importance of Cyperaceae:
Food:
 The tubers of Cyperus esculentus (H. Kaseru) are used as food due to their high oil content. The
tubers yield 25 to 30% oil of pleasant taste. The tubers of Eleocharis tuberosa are also edible.
Fodder:
 Many species of Cyperus are taken by cattle as fodder.
Medicinal:
 The tubers and rhizomes of Cyperus articulatus, C. iria, C. longus are carminative, stimulant and
tonic. The tubers of Cyperus stoloniferous are stimulant for heart.
 The tubers of Scirpus kysoor, S. grossus are used in diarrhoea and vomitting. Scirpus articulatus is
purgative.

19. REFERENCES
 College Botany – Book
 Studies in Botany – Book
 Google.com

20. THANK YOU