Poales: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Poales is an order of plants in the Class Liliopsida (monocots) of the flowering plants. The order includes Family Poaceae (grasses) and allied families. By far, the most economically important family is the Poaceae — the grass or corn family, which includes barley, maize, millet, rice, and wheat.

This group basically corresponds to the Order Restionales in Cronquist's (1981) classification, except that he placed the grasses in the Order Cyperales. Since then it has generally been agreed that the Poaceae belong here, however, and in fact a few authors have removed the Restionaceae instead.

The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group's classification system includes several familes in order Poales that, in other classification systems, constitute separate orders (i.e. Bromeliales, Cyperales, Hydatellales, and Juncales). The APG list of families in order Poales is as follows:

• Anarthriaceae
• Bromeliaceae
• Centrolepidaceae
• Cyperaceae
• Ecdeiocoleaceae
• Eriocaulaceae
• Flagellariaceae
• Hydatellaceae
• Joinvilleaceae
• Juncaceae
• Mayacaceae
• Poaceae
• Rapateaceae
• Restionaceae
• Sparganiaceae
• Thurniaceae
• Typhaceae
• Xyridaceae