Common Name: GRASS FAMILY
Habit: Annual to woody perennial herb; roots generally fibrous. Stem: generally round, hollow; nodes swollen, solid. Leaf: alternate, 2-ranked, generally linear, parallel-veined; sheath generally open; ligule membranous or hairy, at blade base. Inflorescence: various (of generally many spikelets). Spikelet: glumes generally 2; florets (lemma, palea, flower) 1--many; lemma generally membranous, sometimes glume-like; palea generally +- transparent, +- enclosed by lemma. Flower: generally bisexual, minute; perianth vestigial; stamens generally 3; stigmas generally 2, generally plumose. Fruit: grain, sometimes achene- or utricle-like.
Genera In Family: 650--900 genera; +- 10550 species: worldwide; greatest economic importance of any family (wheat, rice, maize, millet, sorghum, sugar cane, forage crops, ornamental, weeds; thatching, weaving, building materials). Note: Generally wind-pollinated. Achnatherum, Ampelodesmos, Hesperostipa, Nassella, Piptatherum, Piptochaetium, Ptilagrostis moved to Stipa; Elytrigia, Leymus, Pascopyrum, Pseudoroegneria, Taeniatherum to Elymus; Hierochloe to Anthoxanthum; Lolium, Vulpia to Festuca; Lycurus to Muhlenbergia; Monanthochloe to Distichlis; Pleuraphis to Hilaria; Rhynchelytrum to Melinis. The following taxa (in genera not included here), recorded in California from historical collections or reported in literature, are extirpated, lacking vouchers, or not considered naturalized: Acrachne racemosa (Roth) Ohwi, Allolepis texana (Vasey) Soderstr. & H.F. Decker, Amphibromus nervosus (Hook. f.) Baill., Axonopus affinis Chase, Axonopus fissifolius (Raddi) Kuhlm., Coix lacryma-jobi L., Cutandia memphitica (Spreng.) K. Richt., Dinebra retroflexa (Vahl) Panz., Eremochloa ciliaris (L.) Merr., Eustachys distichophylla (Lag.) Nees, Gaudinia fragilis (L.) P. Beauv., Miscanthus sinensis Andersson, Neyraudia arundinacea (L.) Henrard, Phyllostachys aurea Rivière & C. Rivière, Phyllostachys bambusoides Siebold & Zuccarini, Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Clayton, Schedonnardus paniculatus (Nutt.) Branner & Coville, Schizachyrium cirratum (Hack.) Wooton & Standl., Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash, Themeda quadrivalvis (L.) Kuntze, Thysanolaena latifolia (Hornem.) Honda, Tribolium obliterum (Hemsl.) Renvoize, Zea mays L., Zizania palustris L. var. interior (Fassett) Dore, Zoysia japonica Steud. Paspalum pubiflorum E. Fourn., Paspalum quadrifarium Lam., are now reported for southern California (J Bot Res Inst Texas 4:761--770). See Glossary p. 30 for illustrations of general family characteristics.
eFlora Treatment Author: James P. Smith, Jr., except as noted
Scientific Editor: James P. Smith, Jr., J. Travis Columbus, Dieter H. Wilken.

Habit: Annual, mat-forming. Stem: stolon-like, 2--8 cm, terminating in clusters of leaves from which new stems arise; stem to 15 cm. Leaf: mostly basal; sheath hairy-tufted at throat; ligule hairy; blade linear, generally inrolled, occasionally flat or folded, sharply pointed, margins white, thickened. Inflorescence: terminal, head-like; spikelets 2--4, subsessile to pedicelled, clustered, subtended by leafy bract; axis breaking above glumes or below bract. Spikelet: laterally compressed; florets 2--10, lower florets bisexual or pistillate; terminal florets sterile; glumes < spikelet, 1-veined, unawned; lower glumes generally present, upper absent or reduced on terminal spikelet; lemma pubescent or scabrous, membranous or leathery, 3-veined, lateral vein tips short-awned, tips +- 2-lobed; palea glabrous, smooth; anthers 2 or 3, yellow; styles elongate, stigmas 2 or 3. Fruit: dorsally compressed.
Etymology: (W. Munro, English agrostologist, 1818--1880) Note: Closest relatives are thought to be Blepharidachne and Dasyochloa, both stoloniferous, mat-forming species with leafy-bracted panicles. Munroa differs from both in its annual habit.
eFlora Treatment Author: Jesús Valdés-Reyna
Reference: Valdés-Reyna 2003 FNANM 25:51--52
Unabridged Reference: Parodi 1934 Revista Mus La Plata Secc Bot 34:171--193; Sanchez 1984 Darwinia 25:43--57