The Poales are a large order of flowering plants in the monocotyledons, and includes families of plants such as the grasses, bromeliads, rushes and sedges. Sixteen plant families are currently recognized by botanists to be part of Poales.
Chloridoideae is one of the largest subfamilies of 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. The subfamily includes widespread weeds such as Bermuda grass or goosegrass, but also millet species grown in some tropical regions, namely finger millet and teff.
Panicoideae is the second-largest subfamily of the grasses with over 3,500 species, mainly distributed in warm temperate and tropical regions. It comprises some important agricultural crops, including sugarcane, maize, sorghum, and switchgrass.
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 sister group is the subfamily Micrairoideae.
Centotheceae is a small tribe of grasses with six species in two genera, distributed in Africa and Asia. It belongs to a basal lineage in subfamily Panicoideae, sometimes referred to as "centothecoid clade". Unlike many other clades in the subfamily Panicoideae, they use the C3 photosynthetic pathway.
Brachyelytrum is a genus of North American and East Asian plants in the grass family, classified in its own tribe Brachyelytreae.
The BOP clade (sometimes BEP clade) is one of two major lineages (or clades) of undefined taxonomic rank in the grasses (Poaceae), containing more than 5,400 species, about half of all grasses. Its sister group is the PACMAD clade; contrary to many species of that group who have evolved C4 photosynthesis, the BOP grasses all use the C3 photosynthetic pathway.
The Aristideae is the sole tribe of grasses in the monotypic subfamily Aristidoideae of the true grass family Poaceae. Its members are herbaceous annuals or perennials found in the tropics, subtropics and temperate zones. The tribe has over 300 species in three genera: The subfamily is a member of the PACMAD clade of grasses, the evolutionary group in which C4 photosynthesis independently evolved a number of times.
Oryzoideae (syn. Ehrhartoideae) is a subfamily of the true grass family Poaceae. It has around 120 species in 19 genera, notably including the major cereal crop rice. Within the grasses, this subfamily is one of three belonging to the species-rich BOP clade, which all use C3 photosynthesis; it is the basal lineage of the clade.
The Puelioideae is a subfamily of the true grass family Poaceae with two genera, Guaduella and Puelia, each in its own tribe. Its members grow in the understory of rainforests.
Pharoideae is a subfamily of the true grass family Poaceae, containing the single tribe Phareae with the two genera Leptaspis and Pharus. Its members grow on the shaded floors of tropical to warm temperate forests.
Anomochlooideae is a subfamily of the true grass family Poaceae. It is sister to all the other grasses. It includes perennial herbs that grow on the shaded floor of forests in the Neotropics. There are two genera, Anomochloa and Streptochaeta, each in its own tribe.
Danthonioideae is a mainly southern hemisphere subfamily of grasses, containing the single tribe Danthonieae and one unplaced genus, with altogether roughly 300 species. It includes herbaceous to partially woody perennial or annual (less common) grasses that grow in open grasslands, shrublands, and woodlands. It belongs to the PACMAD clade of grasses, but unlike some other lineages in that clade, grasses in the Danthonioideae exclusively use the C3 photosynthetic pathway. Its sister group is the subfamily Chloridoideae.
Micrairoideae is a subfamily of the grass family Poaceae, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Within the PACMAD clade, it is sister to subfamily Arundinoideae.
Paspaleae is a tribe of the Panicoideae subfamily in the grasses (Poaceae), native mainly to the tropical and subtropical Americas but with a number of species introduced to other regions. It includes roughly 680 species in 39 genera. Species in this tribe use either of the C3 or C4 photosynthetic pathways.
Steyermarkochloeae is a tribe of the Panicoideae subfamily in the grasses (Poaceae), native to tropical South America. There are only two species in two genera, Arundoclaytonia and Steyermarkochloa. The tribe probably belongs to a basal lineage within the subfamily. Species in this tribe use the C3 photosynthetic pathway.
Tristachyideae is a tribe of the Panicoideae subfamily in the grasses (Poaceae), native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and South America. There are around 70 species in eight genera. The tribe belongs to a basal lineage within the subfamily, and its genera were previously placed in tribes Arundinelleae or Paniceae, subfamily Arundinoideae, or the now-obsolete subfamily Centothecoideae. Species in this tribe use the C4 photosynthetic pathway.
Zeugiteae is a tribe of the subfamily Panicoideae in the grasses (Poaceae), native to Africa, Asia, Australasia, South and Central America. There are 18 species in four genera. The tribe belongs to a basal lineage within the subfamily. Species in this tribe use the C3 photosynthetic pathway.
Chasmanthieae is a small tribe of grasses in the subfamily Panicoideae. It belongs to a basal lineage within the subfamily and has only seven species in two genera, Bromuniola with one species in Africa and Chasmanthium from North America. They all use the C3 photosynthetic pathway.
