PART II 



CHAPTER IX 

 GRAMINE^ (POACE^), GRASS FAMILY 



No family of plants is of greater economic importance than 

 the grass family. It has several thousand species, among 

 which are the "grains" (such as wheat, oats, barley, corn, 

 rice, and others) and the meadow, pasture and range grasses. 

 The grasses grown for "grain" were the first plants to be 

 cultivated by the human race. Members of this family 

 are widely distributed over the surface of the earth, from 

 tropical to polar regions and from low to very high altitudes. 

 In many parts of the world, grasses form a dominant part 

 of the plant covering. Examples of extensive grass associa- 

 tions are meadows, steppes, and savannahs. Meadows are 

 moist grass lands and may occur in all climates. Steppes are 

 dry grass lands. The Old World steppes of Russia, Hungary, 

 Roumania, and Spain, the plains of the Western United 

 States, and the pampas of South America are excellent 

 examples. Savannahs are dry grass lands with scattered 

 trees. The best examples of these are the llanos of Venezuela, 

 and the patanas of Ceylon. 



Habit of Plants.— Most grasses are low, erect herbs. A 

 few, such as the bamboos, are shrubs or trees. Bamboo 

 has a woody stem which may reach a height of loo feet or 

 more. Some grasses are trailing, one or more being re- 

 ported as climbing over trees loo'^feet high. Others, like 

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