- published: 27 Jan 2013
- views: 1843
The Poaceae (also known as the Gramineae) is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocot flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called (land) grasses, although the term (land) "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes (Juncaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae). As for the seagrasses, they all belong to the Alismatales, a different monocot order altogether. This broad and general use of the word "grass" has led to plants of the Poaceae often being called "true grasses". With over 10,025 currently accepted species, the Poaceae represent the fifth largest plant family. Only the Orchidaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Rubiaceae have more species.
Plant communities dominated by Poaceae are called grasslands; grasslands are estimated to comprise 20% of the vegetation cover of the Earth. Grass species also occur in many other habitats not formally considered to be grasslands, including different types of wetlands (e.g., fens, marshes), forests and tundra.