Grass Identification Workshop

The grasses are likely one of the most recognizable plant groups in the environment.  Poaceae, the scientific name for the grass family, is an extremely diverse family found in every ecoregion and in every habitat from desert to wetlands, saline to fresh water.  As one of the most economically important families of plants, grasses provide a significant contribution to the total calories consumed by most humans throughout the world.  Seven of the most important grains consumed by humans are grasses and include the genera: Oryza (rice), Triticum (wheat), Zea (corn), Hordeum (barley), Secale (rye), Saccharum (sugar), Avena (outs).

In Texas, the grasses are a very large family with over 725 species known to occur in the state.  Grasses are often considered difficult to identify, likely due to the very diverse morphology, coupled with a whole new vocabulary, and minute structures used for identification.  Despite these perceived difficulties, grasses can be confidently, and with some practice, rather easily identified.   

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