Micrairoideae is a
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...
of the grass
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Poaceae
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...
, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions.
Within the
PACMAD clade, it is
sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...
to subfamily
Arundinoideae
The Arundinoideae are a subfamily of the true grass family Poaceae with around 40 species, including giant reed and common reed. Unlike many other members of the PACMAD clade of grasses, the Arundinoideae all use C3 photosynthesis. Their sist ...
.
It includes roughly 190 species in nine genera. A phylogenetic classification of the grasses recognises four main lineages, classified as
tribes
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
. Only species in tribe Eriachneae (genera ''
Eriachne'' and ''
Pheidochloa'') have evolved the
C4 photosynthetic pathway.
Phylogeny
Relationships of tribes in the Micrairoideae according to a 2017 phylogenetic classification,
also showing the Arundinoideae as sister group:
References
*
Poaceae subfamilies
{{Poaceae-stub