FAMILY POACEAE

(GRAMINEAE)
DR MUKESH KUMAR
Department of Botany
Sahu Jain College, Najibabad
POACEAE
(THE GRASS FAMILY)
Class: Monocotyledons
Series: Monoclamydae
Family: Poaceae
 POACEAE
Ø The Largest Family of Plant Kingdom
Ø Cereals and grasses- 25% of the
vegetation
Ø has 12 subfamilies
Ø plant communities with Poaceae are
called grasslands
Ø Family includes staple food grain and
cereal crops around the world, lawn,
forage
 POACE (GRAMINAE)

 World: 600 Genera  India: 239 Genera

and > 10,000 species and 1,180species
 Great adaptability  Occur from sea level to

 Arctic to Antarctic 6,000m elevation on

 Sea level to high
mountains
mountains
 Fresh to salt water

 Under extreme
conditions of deserts
 FAMILIAR EXAMPLES

 Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

 Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

 Maize (Zea mays L.)

 Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

 Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.)

 Bamboos (Species of Bambusa,

Dandrocalamus etc.)
 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF
GRASSES

1. The flowers
lack petals and
are borne
between bracts
in a leafless
inflorescence
 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF
GRASSES

2. The leaves
are flat, long
and slender,
and form a
sheath around
the stem
 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF
GRASSES

3. The stems are

round, generally
hollow, and
somewhat swollen
at the nodes
 GENERAL CHARACTERS
 Habit: Annual, biennial or more frequently
perennial herbs (height 2 cm to 6 meters-
savanna grasses of tropics) ; rarely shrubs or
trees (bamboos- attain height up to 30 meters).
 Roots: Fibrous adventitious.

 Stem: Herbaceous; Erect, prostrate or creeping;

 cylindrical; jointed, usually hollow at internodes,

solid in Zea and Sorgham
 Sometimes, forms rhizome or runner.

 Leaves: Sessile with long sheathing base

encircling the clum; alternate; simple; ligulate;
parallel venation.
 INFLORESCENCE
 Inflorescence: Terminates the clum and its
branches; 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.
 Each spikelet is composed very short axis
(rachilla) bearing two opposite rows of bracts.
 Generally 2 (sometimes 1-6) lower bracts are
sterile, called glumes. Their shape varies.
 Sterile glumes are followed by 1-50 flowering
glumes or lemma.
 Lemma are often green, keeled or rounded and
awned or awnless.
 A membranous bikeeled structure, palea is
present between rachella and lemma.
Morphologically palea represents bracteole.
 Lemma and palea bear flower in their axil.
 REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES

• How the spikelets are

borne within the
inflorescence is also
important for
identification
• If the spikelets are
attached directly to the
main stem, the
inflorescence is called a
spike
– Usually spikes are single
within an inflorescence,
although some species will
have multiple spikes
 REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES

 If each spikelet is
borne on a short or
long stem (pedicel),
which, in turn, is
attached alternately
up the main stem, the
inflorescence is called
a raceme
 REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES

• Finally, if the
spikelets are borne on
pedicels which, in
turn, attach to other
branches and
ultimately to the main
stem, the inflorescence
is called a panicle
– Panicles are usually
diffuse and open,
although some are
densely congested and
very spike-like
SPIKELET
INFLORESCENCE AND FLOWER
Triticum aestivum Avena sativa
 THE FLOWER
 Flower: Pedicillate; bracteate, two
bracts palea and lemma enclose flower or floret;
lemma contain bristle like awns zygomorphic;
incomplete; unisexual or hermaphrodite;
hypogynous.
 Perianth: Represented by two or three scale
like lodicules.
 Androecium: 3 stamens, sometimes 1,2 or 6;
polyandrous; anther versatile.
 Gynoecium: Monocarpillary; unilocular; ovary
superior; stigma usually 2; feathery; basal
placentation.
FLORAL FORMULA AND FLORAL
DIAGRAM
 ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
 Food: All the cereals and millets belong to this family.
These from the staple food of mankind. These plants are:
Triticum sp (Wheat). Avena sativa, Zea mays (corn).
Oryza sativa (rice). Hordeum vulgare (barley), Secale
cereale (rye).
 Fodders: Penisetum typhoideum,  Sorghum vulgare,
Cynadon dactylon, Phalaris aquatica etc above all most of
the fodders of the animals also belong to this family. The
dried stems and leaves of the cereal crops are used as
fodder for the cattle.
 Sugar: Sugar is obtained from the juice of Saccharum
officinarum (sugar cane).
 Ornamental plants: Many grasses such as Cynadon
dactylon, Agropyron, Agrostis, Boa, Festuca etc. are used
to beautify the landscapes.
 Aromatic oils: Certain grasses give aromatic oil,
e.g. Cymbopogon citratus, C. nardus (lemon grass). It
gives lemon smell. Its oil is used in perfumes and soap
industry for making infusions.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
CONTD…….
 Paper industry: Some species of grasses are used for
making papers.
 Alcohol and beverages: Ethyl alcohol and many other
beverages are prepared form cereals. For example, wine
is prepared from rye, corn and rum molasses form sugar
cane.
 Ropes: Fibers are obtained form the leaves
of Saccharin?: munjo
These fibers are used for making ropes.
 Used of Bamboo: There are 30 genera and > 550
species of Bamboos. Common species are Bambusa,
Dendrocalamus, Melanocana, Cephalostachyum. These
are used as building material. These are used for
making huts, boats, carts, pipes etc. Their spilt stems
are woven into fans, hats and ‘course umbrella. Their
leaves are given to horse for curing cough and cold.
THANKS