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POACEAE

GRASS FAMILY

James P. Smith, Jr., except as specified

Annual to bamboo-like; roots generally fibrous
Stem generally round, hollow; nodes swollen, solid
Leaves alternate, 2-ranked, generally linear; sheath generally open; ligule membranous or hairy, at blade base
Inflorescence various (of generally many spikelets)
Spikelet: glumes generally 2; florets (lemma, palea, flower) 1–many; lemma generally membranous, sometimes glume-like; palea generally ± transparent, ± enclosed by lemma
Flower generally bisexual, minute; stamens generally 3; stigmas generally 2, generally plumose
Fruit: achene-like grain
Genera in family: 650–900 genera; ± 10,000 species: worldwide; greatest economic importance of any family (wheat, rice, maize, millet, sorghum, sugar cane, forage crops, ornamental, weeds; thatching, weaving, building materials)
Reference: [Hitchcock 1951 Manual grasses US, USDA Misc Publ 200; Clayton & Renvoise 1986 Kew Bull Add Series 13]
See Glossary p. 26 for illustrations of general family characteristics. Generally wind-pollinated.

TRIDENS

Perennial, ± tufted
Stems generally erect
Leaf: ligule fringed or short-hairy; blade flat or inrolled
Inflorescence panicle-like, open to dense, or spike-like
Spikelet ± compressed; glumes ± equal, membranous, lower 1-veined, upper 1–3(5)-veined; axis breaking above glumes and between florets; lemma wide, thin, back rounded, veins hairy below middle, 3-veined, tip notched or 2-toothed, generally short-pointed; palea generally < lemma, glabrous or minutely hairy
Species in genus: 18 species: North America
Etymology: (Latin: 3-toothed, from lemma tip)
Reference: [Tateoka 1961 Amer J Bot 48:565–573]

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