Panicoideae is the second-largest
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
grasses with over 3,500 species, mainly distributed in warm temperate and tropical regions.
It comprises some important agricultural crops, including
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
,
maize (or corn),
sorghum
''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...
, and
switchgrass.
C4 photosynthesis evolved independently a number of times in the subfamily, which presumably had a
C3 ancestor.
Description
The ligule has a fringe of hairs. The inflorescence is branched around a common axis. The spikelets are all alike with two bisexual florets that are joined below the glumes (the outer floral envelopes). The lower glume is shorter than the spikelet.
Systematics and taxonomy
Within the
PACMAD clade of grasses, the Panicoideae are sister to a clade made of the four subfamilies
Arundinoideae,
Chloridoideae
Chloridoideae is one of the largest subfamily, subfamilies of Poaceae, grasses, with roughly 150 genera and 1,600 species, mainly found in arid tropical or subtropical grasslands. Within the PACMAD clade, their sister group is the Danthonioideae. ...
,
Danthonioideae, and
Micrairoideae.
A modern phylogenetic classification divides the Panicoideae in twelve
tribes corresponding to
monophyletic
In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria:
# the grouping contains its own most recent co ...
clades; two genera, ''
Chandrasekharania'' and ''
Jansenella'', are unplaced (''
incertae sedis'') but probably belong to tribe
Tristachyideae.
The three largest tribes,
Paniceae,
Paspaleae, and
Andropogoneae, together with the small
Arundinelleae, form the core of the subfamily. The
Gynerieae were formerly placed in Arundinoideae, and the basal lineage, the "centothecoid clade" with seven tribes, was formerly seen as separate subfamily, Centothecoideae.
Phylogeny based on
chloroplast DNA analyses, showing relationships of tribes within the subfamily (dashed lines indicate uncertain positions; C
4 clades flagged):
Gallery
File:Chasmanthium_latifolium_Boyle_Park.jpg, alt=Grass with large, flat spikelets, Woodoats ('' Chasmanthium latifolium'', Chasmanthieae)
File:Flickr_-_João_de_Deus_Medeiros_-_Loudetiopsis_chrysothrix.jpg, alt=Dry grass spikelets, Spikelets of '' Loudetiopsis chrysothrix'' ( Tristachyideae)
File:Gynerium_sagittatum_3.jpg, alt=Tall grass plants resembling cane, '' Gynerium sagittatum''
File:Pennisetum villosum 002.jpg, alt=A feathery inflorescence of dense spikelets, Feathertop grass ('' Pennisetum villosum'', Paniceae)
File:Corncobs.jpg, alt=Maize cobs in different colours, Cultivated maize or corn (''Zea mays
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...
'', Andropogoneae)
See also
*
Family Poaceae
*
List of Poaceae subfamilies
References
*
*
{{Authority control
Poaceae subfamilies