Poales

'' of family Bromeliaceae The flowers are typically small, enclosed by bracts, and arranged in inflorescences (except in three species of the genus Mayaca, which possess very reduced, one-flowered inflorescences). The flowers of many species are wind pollinated; the seeds usually contain starch. ==Taxonomy==

The APG IV system (2016) accepts the order within a monocot clade called commelinids, with 14 families. The APG III system (2009) recognized Anarthriaceae and Centrolepidaceae as separate families, which APG IV includes in Restionaceae. Major lineages within the Poales have been referred to as bromeliad, cyperid, xyrid, graminid, and restiid clades. A phylogenetic analysis resolved most relationships within the order but found weak support for the monophyly of the cyperid clade. The relationship between Centrolepidaceae and Restoniaceae within the restiid clade remains unclear; the first may actually be embedded in the latter. |label1=Bromeliad clade |1= |2= }} }} Diversity The four most species-rich families in the order are: • Poaceae: 12,070 species • Cyperaceae: 5,500 species • Bromeliaceae: 3,170 species • Eriocaulaceae: 1,150 species File:Typha_latifolia_Finland.jpg|alt=Typha inflorescence|Typha latifolia, Typhaceae File:Carex demissa detail.jpeg|alt=Carex demissa inflorescence|Carex demissa, Cyperaceae File:N Xyrc D9741.JPG|alt=Xyris deplanata flower|Xyris complanata, Xyridaceae File:Elegia capensis CHCH 2.JPG|alt=Elegia capensis stand|Elegia capensis, Restionaceae File:Japanese_Foxtail_millet_02.jpg|alt=Unripe millet panicles|Foxtail millet, Poaceae ==Historic taxonomy==

Cyperales '' Cyperales was a name for an order of flowering plants. As used in the Engler system (update, of 1964) and in the Wettstein system it consisted of only the single family. In the Cronquist system it is used for an order (placed in subclass Commelinidae) and circumscribed as (1981): • order Cyperales • : family Cyperaceae • : family Poaceae (or Gramineae) The APG system now assigns the plants involved to the order Poales. Eriocaulales '' Eriocaulales is a botanical name for an order of flowering plants. The name was published by Takenoshin Nakai. In the Cronquist system the name was used for an order placed in the subclass Commelinidae. The order consisted of one family only (1981): • order Eriocaulales • family Eriocaulaceae The APG IV system now assigns these plants to the order Poales. ==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 the starch staples barley, maize, millet, rice, and wheat as well as bamboos (mostly used structurally, like wood, but somewhat as vegetables), and a few "seasonings" like sugarcane and lemongrass. Graminoids, especially the grasses, are typically dominant in open (low moisture but not yet arid, or also fire climax) habitats like prairie/steppe and savannah and thus form a large proportion of the forage of grazing livestock. Possibly due to pastoral nostalgia or simply a desire for open areas for play, they dominate most Western yards as lawns, which consume vast sums of money in upkeep (artificial grazing—mowing—for aesthetics and to keep the allergenic flowers suppressed, irrigation, and fertilizer). Many Bromeliaceae are used as ornamental plants (and one, the pineapple, is internationally grown in the tropics for fruit). Many wetland species of sedges, rushes, grasses, and cattails are important habitat plants for waterfowl, are used in weaving chair seats, and (especially cattails) were important pre-agricultural food sources for humans. Two sedges, chufa (Cyperus esculentus, also a significant weed) and water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) are still at least locally important wetland starchy root crops. ==References==