True Grasses

Poaceae is a large family and can be found nearly everywhere on earth. It is the 5th largest plant family with 780 genera and 12,000 species. An estimated 40% of land area is made up of grasslands and savannas! Ceral crops (wheat, oats, corn, barley, and rice), as well as bamboo are in this family. Grasses can be distinguished from sedges and rushes by nodes on the stem where leaf blades grow. They are also hollow! Grasses are notoriously difficult to identify without their floral parts, and even then, the differences can be microscopic.