Flora of the Southeastern United States

Poaceae Barnhart. Common name: Grass Family.

Key to Poaceae

A family of about 771 genera and 12,074 species, herbs (and some shrubs and trees), cosmopolitan. Tribal classification largely follows FNA (2003a, 2007a), with some changes based on subsequent research, as for instance in the Chloridoideae (Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson 2010a). Key to genera adapted in large part from FNA. Subtribal classification of the Andropogoneae is from Welker et al. (2020).

Grass classification from Soreng et al. (2015).

“BOP” CLADE
   subfamily Oryzoideae {or Ehrhartioideae? See Kellogg 2015 in Kubitzki}
         tribe Oryzeae
            subtribe Oryzinae: Leersia, Oryza
            subtribe Zizaniinae: Luziola, Zizania, Zizaniopsis
   subfamily Bambusoideae
      supertribe Arundinarodae
         tribe Arundinarieae
            subtribe Arundinariinae: Arundinaria, Phyllostachys, Pleioblastus, Pseudosasa, Sasa
      supertribe Bambusoideae
         tribe Bambuseae
            subtribe Bambusinae: Bambusa
   subfamily Pooideae
         tribe Brachyelytreae: Brachyelytrum
         tribe Meliceae: Glyceria, Melica, Schizachne
         tribe Stipeae: Eriocoma, Nassella, Oryzopsis, Patis, Piptatheropsis, Piptatherum, Piptochaetium
         tribe Diarrheneae: Diarrhena
         tribe Brachypodieae: Brachypodium
      supertribe Poodae
         tribe Poeae (CHLOROPLAST GROUP 1 Aveneae type)
            subtribe Torreyochloinae: Amphibromus, Torreyochloa
            subtribe Aveninae: Arrhenatherum, Avena, Koeleria, Lagurus, Rostraria, Sphenopholis, Trisetum
            subtribe Phalaridinae: Phalaris
            subtribe Anthoxanthinae: Anthoxanthum
            subtribe Brizinae: Briza
            subtribe Agrostidinae: Agrostis, Ammophila, Calamagrostis, Gastridium, Lachnagrostis, Limnodea, Polypogon
         tribe Poeae (CHLOROPLAST GROUP 2 Poeae type)
            incertae sedis: Avenula
            subtribe Coleanthinae: Puccinellia, Sclerochloa
            subtribe Miliinae: Milium
            subtribe Poinae: Alopecurus, Apera, Beckmannia, Cinna, Phleum, Poa
            subtribe Airinae: Aira, Avenella
            subtribe Holcinae: Deschampsia, Holcus
            subtribe Loliinae: Festuca (incl. Vulpia), Lolium (incl. Schedonorus)
            subtribe Dactylidinae: Dactylis
            subtribe Cynosurinae: Cynosurus
            subtribe Parapholiinae: Desmazeria, Hainardia, Parapholis
      supertribe Triticodae
         tribe Bromeae: Bromus
         tribe Triticeae
            subtribe Hordeinae: Agropyron, Elymus, Hordeum, Pascopyrum, Secale
            subtribe Triticinae: Aegilops, Thinopyrum, Triticum
“PACMAD” CLADE
   subfamily Aristidoideae
         tribe Aristideae: Aristida
   subfamily Panicoideae
         tribe Chasmanthieae: Chasmanthium
      supertribe Panicodae
         tribe Paniceae
            incertae sedis: Sacciolepis
            subtribe Anthephorinae: Digitaria
            subtribe Dichantheliinae: Dichanthelium
            subtribe Boivinellinae: Alloteropsis, Amphicarpum, Echinochloa, Oplismenus
            subtribe Melinidinae: Eriochloa, Megathyrsus, Melinis, Urochloa
            subtribe Panicinae: Panicum
            subtribe Cenchrinae: Cenchrus (incl. Pennisetum), Setaria, Paspalidium?, Stenotaphrum
         tribe Paspaleae
            subtribe Paspalinae: Axonopus, Paspalum
            subtribe Otachyriinae: Hymenachne, Steinchisma
            subtribe Arthropogoninae: Coleataenia, Phanopyrum
      supertribe Andropogonodae
         tribe Andropogoneae
            incertae sedis: Chrysopogon, Imperata, Tripidium
            subtribe Arthraxoninae: Arthraxon
            subtribe Tripsacinae: Tripsacum, Zea
            subtribe Coicinae: Coix
            subtribe Rottboelliinae: Elionurus, Eremochloa, Mnesithea (incl. Coelorachis, Hackelochloa), Rottboellia
            subtribe Sorghinae: Sorghastrum, Sorghum
            subtribe Saccharinae: Erianthus, Microstegium, Miscanthus, Saccharum s.s.
            subtribe Andropogoninae: Andropogon, Hyparrhenia, Schizachyrium
            subtribe Anthistiriinae: Bothriochloa, Heteropogon
   subfamily Arundinoideae
         tribe Arundineae: Arundo
         tribe Molinieae: Molinia, Phragmites
   subfamily Danthonioideae
         tribe Danthonieae: Cortaderia, Danthonia
   subfamily Chloridoideae
         tribe Eragrostideae
            subtribe Unioliinae: Uniola
            subtribe Eragrostidinae: Eragrostis, Neeragrostis
         tribe Zoysieae
            subtribe Zoysiinae: Zoysia
            subtribe Sporobolinae: Sporobolus , Calamovilfa, Crypsis, Spartina)
         tribe Cynodonteae
            incertae sedis: Dactyloctenium
            subtribe Gouiniinae: Triplasis
            subtribe Cteniinae: Ctenium
            subtribe Gymnopogoninae: Gymnopogon
            subtribe Eleusininae: Chloris, Cynodon, Dinebra, Diplachne, Disakisperma, Eleusine, Enteropogon, Eustachys, Leptochloa, Lepturus
            subtribe Pappophorinae: Tridens
            subtribe Traginae: Tragus
            subtribe Monanthochloinae: Distichlis (incl. Monanthochloa)
            subtribe Boutelouinae: Bouteloua (incl. Buchloe, Opizia)
            subtribe Muhlenbergiinae: Muhlenbergia

Key advice:The key to bamboos based on Stapleton (2007). Other genera are grown and may be expected to persist and vegetatively spread or potentially truly naturalize in our area.

References: Blomquist (1948); Clark & Kellogg (2007) In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2007a); Delfini et al. (2023); Hitchcock & Chase (1951); Kellogg (2015); Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson (2010a); Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson (2010b); Welker et al. (2020). Show full citations.

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