Paniceae is a large

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Panicoideae 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 (or corn), sorghum, and swit ...

in the grasses (

Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

), the only in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

supertribe Panicodae. It includes roughly 1,500 species in 84 genera, primarily found in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

regions of the world. Paniceae includes species using either of the C₄ and C₃ photosynthetic pathways, as well as presumably intermediate species. Most of the

millets Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets a ...

are members of tribe Paniceae. The tribe is subdivided into seven subtribes, but some genera are as yet unplaced (''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

''). Species in the Paniceae have an ancestral

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

number ( monoploid number) of ''x'' = 9, while species with ''x'' = 10 formerly included are now recognised as separate tribe,

Paspaleae 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 ...

Subtribes and genera

Subdivisions:

Gallery

Starr_010520-0041_Cenchrus_echinatus.jpg, '' Cenchrus echinatus'' Crabgrass.JPG, ''

Digitaria sanguinalis ''Digitaria sanguinalis'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by several common names, including hairy crabgrass, hairy finger-grass, large crabgrass, crab finger grass, purple crabgrass. It is one of the better-known species of the genus ''Digi ...

'' Echinochloa crus-galli 2006.08.27 14.59.37-p8270051.jpg, ''

Echinochloa crus-galli ''Echinochloa crus-galli'' is a type of wild grass originating from tropical Asia that was formerly classified as a type of panicum grass. It is commonly known as cockspur (or cockspur grass), barnyard millet, Japanese millet, water grass, common ...

'' Eriochloa procera plant.jpg, '' Eriochloa procera'' Oplismenus undulatifolius-1.jpg, '' Oplismenus hirtellus undulatifolius'' Oplismenus undulatifolius DSCN0094.JPG, ''

Oplismenus undulatifolius ''Oplismenus undulatifolius'', commonly known as wavyleaf basketgrass, is a species of perennial grass from the family Poaceae that is native to Eurasia, specifically Southern Europe through Southern Asia. Due to its invasive nature, it can b ...

'' Starr 061114-9870 Pennisetum polystachion.jpg, ''

Pennisetum polystachion ''Pennisetum polystachion'', the mission grass, is a species of grass native to tropical Africa, and is an invasive species in Northern Australia and in Sri Lanka.S. Ranwala, B. Marambe, S. Wijesundara, P. Silva, D. Weerakoon, N. Atapattu, J. Gun ...

'' Starr 061211-2254 Pennisetum purpureum.jpg, ''

Pennisetum purpureum ''Cenchrus purpureus'', synonym ''Pennisetum purpureum'', also known as Napier grass, elephant grass or Uganda grass, is a species of perennial tropical grass native to the African grasslands. arrell, G., Simons, S. A., & Hillocks, R. J. (2002). ...

'' Spinifex_longifolius_fg01.JPG, ''

Spinifex longifolius ''Spinifex longifolius'', commonly known as beach spinifex, is a perennial grass that grows in sandy regions along the seacoast. It also lives in most deserts around Australia. Description It grows as a tussock from 30 centimetres to a metre ...

'' Starr 031108-0098 Stenotaphrum secundatum.jpg, '' Stenotaphrum secundatum'' (St. Augustine Grass)

References

Sources

* Barkworth, M. (2003). "Paniceae" in ''Flora North America''. Vol. 25. pp. 353–602. * Brown, R. (1814). ''A Voyage to Terra Australis''. Vol. 2. p. 582. * *

External links

* * Panicoideae Poaceae tribes {{Panicoideae-stub