David,
There was no change in classification of corn. Gramineae is the
old-fashioned name for the grass family, which is now known as the
Poaceae. The nomenclature of plant family names was revised a few
years ago so that all families would end in the suffix "aceae." To
conform to the new nomenclature, you should say in your class that
corn is in the family Poaceae.
Sincerely,
Phil Stinard
At 18:48:44 BST Wed 09 Aug 2000, David J. Gerrick wrote:
>>An inquiring mind wants to know? I'm putting together a lecture for
>my economic botany class on grains. I see corn sometimes listed as
>Gramineae and at others Poaceae. What's the concensus? Was there some
>profound discovery in cytogenetics which prompted Gramineae to be
>changed to Poaceae. Is this change true of all true grains say
>millets, rye, wheat. What I need is a good simple explanation for
>students or a citation to the pertinent literature. I'm a chemist, so
>ain't too smart!
>>David J. Gerrick - Natural Products Chemist
>Dayton Tech
>Lorain OH 44055
