Family · Monocots
Poaceae
Grasses — wheat, rice, corn, bamboo
Grasses: wind-pollinated herbs with jointed hollow stems; includes all cereal grains and bamboo.
- Accepted species
- 12,484accepted names · Kew WCVP
- Genera
- 840accepted genera · Kew WCVP
- Origin
- ≈40 MaPaleogene · crown age, Jin & Qian 2022 megatree
- Centre of diversity
- Asia-Temperatemost native species · WGSRPD
Open Poaceae in the treePan, zoom and dig into its genera in the interactive view.›
Largest genera
Festuca653 spp.
Poa617 spp.
Eragrostis428 spp.
Paspalum357 spp.
Aristida301 spp.
Digitaria267 spp.
Panicum253 spp.
Sporobolus227 spp.
Calamagrostis212 spp.
Chusquea208 spp.
Elymus208 spp.
Agrostis207 spp.
Bromus180 spp.
Muhlenbergia176 spp.
Stipa169 spp.
Bambusa153 spp.
Setaria137 spp.
Dichanthelium136 spp.
Puccinellia125 spp.
Urochloa121 spp.
Nassella112 spp.
Cenchrus111 spp.
Isachne105 spp.
Ischaemum100 spp.
Yushania100 spp.
Melica96 spp.
Triodia87 spp.
Andropogon85 spp.
Dendrocalamus80 spp.
Pentameris80 spp.
Koeleria79 spp.
Axonopus78 spp.
Schizostachyum75 spp.
Rytidosperma74 spp.
Austrostipa71 spp.
Gigantochloa71 spp.
Leymus65 spp.
Deschampsia64 spp.
Schizachyrium64 spp.
Phyllostachys63 spp.
Cinnagrostis62 spp.
Merostachys60 spp.
Arundinella59 spp.
Hyparrhenia58 spp.
Bouteloua57 spp.
Stipagrostis56 spp.
Chloris55 spp.
Dimeria55 spp.
Cymbopogon54 spp.
Anthoxanthum53 spp.
Anatherum52 spp.
Chrysopogon51 spp.
Trichanthecium51 spp.
Alopecurus50 spp.
Eriachne49 spp.
Fargesia49 spp.
Glyceria48 spp.
Borinda47 spp.
Aulonemia45 spp.
Dinochloa45 spp.
The 780 smaller genera are in the interactive tree.
Where it grows
- Asia-Temperate3,288
- Southern America3,150
- Africa2,594
- Asia-Tropical2,273
- Northern America1,771
- Australasia1,204
- Europe1,166
- Pacific177
- Antarctic41
Native species richness by botanical continent (WGSRPD level 1), from Kew WCVP.
Related families
Poaceae sits in the order Poales.