Poales Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Poales

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Poales Small
families
See text

Poales is a taxonomic order of flowering plants in the monocotyledons. The order includes families of plants such as the grasses, bromeliads, and sedges.

The earliest fossils attributed to the Poales date to the late Cretaceous period about 66 million years ago, though some suggest the origin of the group may be 115 million years ago in South America. The earliest known fossils include pollen and fruits.

The flowers are typically small, enclosed by bracts, and arranged in inflorescences (except in the genus Mayaca, with solitary terminal flowers). The flowers of many species are wind pollinated; the seeds usually contain starch.

One recent classification lists these families:

order Poales

family Anarthriaceae

family Bromeliaceae

family Centrolepidaceae

family Cyperaceae

family Ecdeiocoleaceae

family Eriocaulaceae

family Flagellariaceae

family Joinvilleaceae

family Juncaceae

family Mayacaceae

family Poaceae

family Rapateaceae

family Restionaceae

family Thurniaceae

family Typhaceae

family Xyridaceae

Uses

The Poales are the most economically important order of monocots and possibly the most important order of plants in general. Within the order, by far the most important family economically is the family of grasses (Poaceae, syn. Gramineae), which includes barley, maize, millet, rice, and wheat. It is also the largest family in the order, far outnumbering the other families:

Poaceae: 12,070 species
Cyperaceae: 5,500 species
Bromeliaceae: 3,170 species
Eriocaulaceae: 1,150 species