Poaceae

/poʊˈeɪsi/ noun

Definition

The grass family, including all true grasses such as wheat, rice, corn, bamboo, and lawn grasses. Members have hollow stems (culms), narrow leaves with parallel veins, and small flowers arranged in spikelets without petals.

Etymology

From Latin 'poa,' a genus of grasses, ultimately from Greek 'poa' meaning 'grass' or 'herbage.' This family was formerly called Gramineae, from Latin 'gramen' meaning 'grass,' but modern classification uses the type genus Poa.

Kelly Says

Poaceae literally feeds the world! This single plant family provides the majority of human calories through rice, wheat, and corn, covers more of Earth's land surface than any other plant family, and creates the vast grasslands that support enormous herds of grazing animals from bison to wildebeest.

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