The sweet grasses (Poaceae, old name Gramineae), sometimes also simply grasses mentioned, are one the Bedecktsamer.

With approximately 9000 EN in well 650 EN this is one of the large families of the bloom plants.

Sweet grasses are world-wide in all climate zones represented.

Sweet grasses are very often krautige plants, sometimes also holzige plants (for example bamboo) or climbers.

Important characteristics and terms

Blooms and bloom conditions

The sweet grasses are characterised by a characteristic reduction and arrangement of the blooms: A bloom covering is missing to the usually zwittrigen blooms. They are wrapped for it however into drying-membranous carrying sheets, the Spelzen. In each case one to several blooms form partial bloom conditions, the spikelet. The spikelets again are zuRispen, ears or illusory ears united.

In order not to lose the overview, the structure of the spikelets is explained best in list format:

• Cladding furs: At the reason of each spikelet two, in or more than two Spelzen, rarely also sit which wrap usually the whole spikelet, cladding furs. The outside cladding furs on the lower surface of the spikelet axle, the inside on the top side sits.
• Deck furs: The cladding furs following sit on the spikelet axle in two-line arrangement deck furs, of which everyone carries blooms in its Blattachsel. On the back or at the point deck furs often sits a rigid bristle, the Granne.
• Vorspelzen: Each bloom consists of a Vorspelze, then of two small the "swelling bodies" or "Lodiculae", three with long dust threads and a Fruchtknoten with two federigen scars.

All sweet grasses are wind-dusted. With allergischen humans this kind of the polling spreading causes the hay cold.

Stems and sheets

One calls the of the sweet grasses stem. Contrary to that of the sour grasses the stem of the sweet grasses is nearly always hollow and is round. It is by knot (singular: Nodus, majority: Nodien) arranged. Exactly regarded however not the stem is thickened, but the basis of the Blattscheiden (see below). The sections between the Nodien are called Internodien. Sour grasses do not have Nodien and Internodien.

Also the sheets of the sweet grasses have a completely own form: The lower part, the Blattscheide, covers the stem of the plant scheidig. The top of the sheet, the Blattspreite, is laminar and is away from the stem.

At the sudden transition from the Blattscheide to the Blattspreite sit with most kinds a membranous appendage, the or "Ligula".

Ecology

Sweet grasses are the dominant factor plant species in many dry or halfdry areas such as steppes or savannahs. By their fast settling they are often-erosion-restraining.

Because the point of vegetation is with sweet grasses deeply and sheets from bottom to top become "after-pushed", stands most kinds the or grazing well. One assumes that the evolution of the sweet grasses with that of the large pasture animals went parallel. It concerns in any case a modern group of plants.

Use

The fruits of the sweet grasses are einsamige closing fruits, the Karyopsen. They form a special form of the nut fruits, as grains are however usually designated. The Karyopsen often contains much strength. Therefore those are grain how under the sweet grasses also some the most important Nahrungspflanzen of humans, it are: Rice, corn or wheat. The sweet grasses have great importance in addition as feeds for Weidevieh.

Admitted representative

Bamboo (Bambusoideae)

Barley (Hordeum)

Oats (Avena)

Corn (Zea)

Rice (Oryza)

Rye (Secale)

Wheat (Triticum)

Lemon grass (Cymbopogon)

Zuckerrohr (Saccharum)

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