Today, more than 350 thousand plant species are known. Of these, the Monocotyledon class accounts for about 60,000 species. Moreover, this class includes two of the most common families in terms of habitat and economic importance:
- Liliaceae.
- Cereal or Bluegrass family.
Take a closer look at the Cereal family.
Cereal Taxonomy
The place in the organic world system of this family is as follows:
- The Kingdom of the Plant.
- Subdomain Multicellular.
- Department of Angiosperms (Flowering).
- Class Monocotyledonous.
- The Cereal Family.
All representatives of this family are united in 900 genera. The total number of representatives is about 11,000 species. Plants of the Cereal family are found both meadow and cultivated, having important agricultural significance.
Growing conditions and distribution
The Cereal family occupies very vast habitats due to its unpretentiousness, moisture and drought tolerance (not all species). Therefore, we can say that they cover almost the entire land, with the exception of Antarctica and ice-covered territories.
This immediately makes it clear that the plants of the Cereal family are very unpretentious to the growing conditions. So, for example, representatives of meadow grasses (timothy grass, bluegrass, wheat grass, hedgehog, bonfire and others) quite calmly endure the adverse conditions of winter and the heat of summer.
Cultivated plants (rye, oats, wheat, rice) are already more demanding, but they are also able to survive rather large amplitudes of fluctuations in air temperature.
Almost all representatives of the Cereals family are equally neutral in sunlight. Representatives of meadows, steppes, pampas, savannahs are plants accustomed to harsh conditions, and cultivated species undergo constant care and treatment by humans, therefore they also feel comfortable in periods of low light.
General characteristics of the family
The Cereal family includes both annuals, and biennials, and most often perennials. Outwardly, they are usually similar, since they have a similar structure of the stem and leaves. Their stem has obvious distinctive features from the stems of other plants - it is completely empty inside and is a hollow tube, which was called a straw.
The large number of family representatives is explained by their importance in economic terms: some plants go to feed livestock, others to process and produce grain and starch, others to get protein, and others to decorative purposes.
Morphological features
External (morphological) characters of the Cereal family can be described in several ways.
- Stalk of straw (except corn and reed), hollow inside.
- The internodes on the stem are well defined.
- In some representatives, the stem becomes lignified throughout life (bamboo).
- The leaves are simple, sessile, with a pronounced vagina covering the stem.
- The shape of the sheet is elongated, venation parallel.
- The location of the sheet plates is another.
- The root system of the fibrous type, sometimes underground shoots turn into rhizomes.
These signs are possessed by all representatives forming the Cereal family.
Flower formula
During the flowering period, plants of this family are very unremarkable, as they are prone to self-pollination or cross-pollination. Therefore, it makes no sense to form huge bright and fragrant flowers. Their flowers are small, pale, completely unprepossessing. Gather in inflorescences of different types:
- complex spike (wheat);
- ear of corn (corn);
- whisk (feather grass).
The flowers are the same for everyone, the flower formula of the Cereal family is as follows: CC2 + Pl2 + T3 + P1. Where CC - floral scales, Pl - films, T - stamens, P - pestle.
The formula of the flower of the Cereal family gives a clear idea of the nondescript nature of these plants during the flowering period, which means using not flowers, but leaves and stems for decorative purposes.
Fruit
After flowering, a fruit rich in protein and starch is formed. It is the same for all representatives of the Cereal family. The fetus is called the caryopsis. Indeed, most people far from biology know the term “cereals” itself, and it is associated with grains of agricultural plants called grains.
However, not only cultivated plants of the Cereal family have such a fruit, but also meadow plants. Grains are rich in vitamins, gluten, protein, and starch.
Cereal Representatives
As mentioned above, there are about 11,000 plants that make up the Cereal family. Their representatives are found among wild and cultivated plant species.
Wild representatives:
- timothy
- a hedgehog;
- bonfire;
- feather grass;
- wheat grass;
- bamboo;
- breadcrumbs;
- fescue;
- wild oats;
- bristles and others.
Most representatives of wild Cereals are inhabitants of the steppes, meadows, forests, savannahs.
The cultivated plants that make up the Cereal family form their fruit under the influence of different environmental conditions. That is why, in order to get grain of worthy quality, many of the representatives of the Cereals have turned into home crops, which are properly cared for. These include:
- rice
- rye;
- wheat;
- sugarcane;
- oats;
- millet;
- barley;
- sorghum;
- corn and others.
Cultivated plants are of great economic importance for the food supply of the whole country.
Annual plants
Annual plants include those that go through the entire life cycle in one growing season. That is, all the basic life processes - growth, flowering, reproduction and death - fit into one season.
It is difficult to cite one annual plant of the Cereal family as an example. There are actually quite a lot of them. Consider some of the most common and of commercial importance.
- Kaoliang. A plant from the genus Sorghum, is a grain crop along with rye, wheat and so on.
- Durra or Dzhugarra. Also a fodder plant, which is most common in the southern parts of the Earth. It is used not only as a grain crop, but as hay and silage for feeding animals.
- Bonfire. A widespread plant in the Cereal family, which is often taken and regarded as a weed. It grows on any soil, unpretentious to heat and moisture, can do without sunlight for a long time. It is used only for animal nutrition, its fruits do not have economic value.
- Corn. One of the most common agricultural crops in many countries of the world. From corn grains, oils and flour are obtained; the grains themselves are used directly in boiled form.
- Foxtail. A herbaceous plant related to both annual and perennial forms. The main significance is the formation of grass cover in meadows (floodplain). Goes to feed the animals.
- Panic. Southern agricultural annual crop, which is grown not only for livestock feed, but also as a food plant to produce valuable grain. It is thermophilic and photophilous, does not grow on the territory of Russia.
- Bluegrass. There are several varieties of representatives of this genus, however, all of them are steppe or meadow grasses, which are of industrial importance as livestock feed.
- Millet. Includes many species. Of all the diversity in Russia, there are only 6 species, some of which are used for decorative purposes. The second part is used to obtain nutritious grain for animal feed.
Perennial plants
Most plants of the family are perennial. That is, their life cycle consists of several seasons (vegetative periods). They are able to survive adverse winter conditions without loss of vitality. Many of them form the Cereal family. The characteristics of such plants are very extensive. Consider some of the most important representatives in the economic plan.
- Wheat. The most widespread agricultural crop by world area, which is valued by the nutrients of its grain.
- Wheatgrass. Many know him as a malicious weed. However, this is not its only meaning. This plant is a valuable food base for animal nutrition.
- Fig. A very important crop, not inferior to wheat in value and nutritional value of grain. Cultivated in the eastern regions of the world.
- Rye. One of the most sought after cereals after wheat and rice. A large number of these plants are grown in Russia. The nutritional value of grain is at a high level.
- Sugarcane. His homeland is India, Brazil and Cuba. The main nutritional value of this crop is sugar production.
Cereal Crops
Agricultural crops of this family include, in addition to the above, sorghum. This plant has all the characteristics of the Cereal family, and also has valuable grain. In our country, sorghum is not grown, as it is a very thermophilic plant. However, in the countries of Africa, Australia, South America, this is a very valuable commercial culture.
Sorghum grains are ground into flour, and parts of the stem and leaves go to livestock feed. In addition, furniture is made from leaves and stems, and beautiful interior items are weaved.
Barley can also be attributed to important agricultural crops. This plant does not require special conditions for growth, therefore, it is easily cultivated in the territories of many countries. The main value of the grain goes to brewing, obtaining pearl barley and barley, and also goes to animal feed.
Also, barley infusions are of great importance in traditional and traditional medicine (drugs for liver diseases and gastrointestinal tract).
The nutritional value of cereal grains
Why are grains of representatives forming the Cereal family so important and widely applicable? Characterization of grain composition will help to understand this.
Firstly, all cereal grains contain protein, just the amount of it varies among different representatives. Wheat varieties are considered to be the highest in gluten protein content.
Secondly, cereal grains contain starch, which means they have sufficient nutritional value and are able to form flour.
Thirdly, a culture such as rice contains a lot of vitamins of different groups, which makes it even more useful.
Obviously, the full use of cereals provides the body with a set of all the daily necessary substances. Therefore, they are so popular in all countries of the world.