The Poaceae (or Gramineae) are one of the largest plant families (12 subfamilies, 760-780 genera and over 11,500 species). They are found on every continent, including Antarctica. Grasses are the dominant vegetation in grasslands (steppes, prairies, and pampas), savannas, grassy marshes, reed swamps, and many man-modified habitats including pastures, fields, and lawns; also occur in tundra, alpine meadows, temperate and tropical forests, etc. Many species are resistant to fire, grazing, and flooding. Perennial or annual graminoids, usually terrestrial; rarely vines or aquatics. The stems are cylindrical and hollow, except at the nodes; solitary to densely clumped; fully erect to prostrate; herbaceous or woody. Up to 45 m in height and 30 cm in diameter in bamboos. The leaves are long and narrow, nearly always alternate, with entire margins; the lower part of each leaf encloses the stem, forming a leaf-sheath. The flowers are minute and highly simplified; arranged in spikelets, and further grouped into panicles or spikes. Mainly wind-pollinated, although some Bambusoideae are pollinated by insects. The fruit is a caryopsis, or a berry (in bamboos), with a single seed. The seeds are dispersed by wind, animals, or water. In many species of bamboos flowering is synchronised and occurs every 30-100 years, followed by massive die-offs. Many grasses reproduce clonally by producing horizontal stems either below (rhizomes) or above the ground (stolons). The Poaceae are one of the most important sources of food for many organisms, including humans. At least 35 species have been domesticated (wheat, barley, rye, rice, oats, maize, millet, etc.), and ca. 300 species are harvested in the wild.

		Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata)
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