Plant Family discussion specifically on family Poaceae or grasses.

1. Family Poaceae
Bio 103.2 Fundamentals of Plant Biology Laboratory

2. Scientific Classification

3. 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

4. Grass Structure A. Diagram of a typical lawn grass
plant.
B. Parts of a spikelet.
C. Grass Flowers.A
B
C

5. Species under Family Poaceae
1. 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

6. 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 Corn
Zea mays

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 6. Reed (Phragmites karka) - LUZON: Ilocos Norte, Mountain
Province, Bataan, Laguna, Camarines, PALAWAN, NEGROS, CEBU, MIND
ANAO, 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.

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

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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, MINDAN
AO, SULU. Along roadsides, fallow rice paddies, waste
places, pastures, etc. at low and medium altitudes.

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