Triticeae facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Triticeae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Clade:	BOP clade
Subfamily:	Pooideae
Tribe:	Triticeae L.
Genera
See text.

Triticeae is a special group of grasses that includes many plants we use every day. Think of important crops like wheat, barley, and rye – they all belong to this group! These grasses are super important for feeding people and animals around the world.

Some plants in the Triticeae family have a very interesting history when it comes to their genes. For example, the common bread wheat you eat is actually a mix of genes from three different plant species, but only one of them is a true wheat species! Also, some people have allergies or sensitivities to certain proteins found in the seeds of these plants.

Meet the Triticeae Family: Genera

Scientists group plants into categories. A "genus" (plural: genera) is a group of very similar plants. Here are some of the main genera (groups) that belong to the Triticeae family:

Important Plants We Use

Many plants in the Triticeae family are grown for food or other uses. Here are some of the most well-known:

4 different commercial forms of Triticeae plants. Clockwise from top: wheat gluten flour, European spelt, barley corns, rolled rye.

Aegilops (Goatgrasses)

• Different types of Aegilops have been found in ancient sites. People likely gathered their edible grains as wild food long ago.
• speltoides is an ancient food grain. It's thought to be one of the original sources of genes for bread wheat.
• tauschii also contributed genes to modern wheat.

Amblyopyrum

• muticum is another plant that contributed genes to other important grasses.

Elymus (Wildrye)

Various Elymus species are grown to feed animals or to protect farmland.

• canadensis (Canada Wildrye) has edible seeds that can be used to make flour, though they are small.
• trachycaulus is often grown for animal grazing.

Hordeum (Barley)

There are many types of barley!

• vulgare is the common barley we know, used in food and drinks.
• bulbosum has edible seeds.
• murinum (Mouse Barley) can be cooked or used to make flour. It was also used in traditional medicine.

Leymus (Lyme Grass)

• arenarius (Lyme Grass) can be used to make flour and might be added to other foods.
• racemosus (Volga Wild Rye) is a grain that can handle dry weather and is grown in Russia.
• condensatus (Giant Wild Rye) has edible seeds, but they are small and hard to collect.
• triticoides (Squaw Grass) is used in North America, but its seeds have hairs that need to be burned off before eating.

Secale (Ryes)

• cereale (Cereal Rye) is used to feed livestock and to make sourdough bread.
• cornutum (Spurred Rye) is used in very small amounts in herbal medicine, but it's very poisonous if eaten as food.
• strictum and sylvestre (Tibetan Rye) are actively grown in places like Tibet and China.
• vavilovii (Armenian Wild Rye) has edible seeds and can be used as a thickener.

Triticum (Wheat)

Wheat is one of the most important crops in the world!

• aestivum (Bread Wheat) is the most common type of wheat used for bread. It has a complex genetic makeup.
  • compactum (club wheat)
  • macha (hulled)
  • spelta (hulled, spelt)
  • sphaerococcum (shot wheat)
• monococcum (Einkorn Wheat) is an older, simpler type of wheat.
• timopheevii (Sanduri Wheat)
• turgidum (Poulard Wheat)
  • carthlicum (Persian black wheat)
  • dicoccoides (wild emmer wheat)
  • dicoccum (cultivated emmer wheat) – used to make Farro.
  • durum (Durum Wheat) – used for pasta.
  • paleocolchicum
  • polonicum (Polish wheat)
  • turanicum

How Triticeae Plants Evolved

The Triticeae family has a fascinating history of how its different species came to be. Many of these plants are "polyploids," meaning they have more sets of chromosomes than typical plants. This happens naturally and can help plants adapt and combine genes from different species.

For example, common bread wheat is a "hexaploid," meaning it has six sets of chromosomes, which came from three different parent species. This mixing of genes has allowed new, stronger types of wheat to develop over time.

Scientists believe that the Aegilops (goatgrass) species played a big role in the early evolution of wheat. It seems that the Triticum (wheat) genus actually grew out of the Aegilops group millions of years ago.

How Bread Wheat Got Its Genes

The story of bread wheat is a great example of how polyploidy works:

• First, a wild wheat species (like Triticum boeoticum) combined its genes with a type of goatgrass (like Aegilops speltoides). This created a new plant with four sets of chromosomes, called "wild emmer wheat." This is a "tetraploid" plant.
• Later, this tetraploid wheat then combined with another goatgrass species, Aegilops tauschii. This final step added two more sets of chromosomes, resulting in the common bread wheat we know today, which has six sets of chromosomes (a "hexaploid"). This process allowed bread wheat to become very strong and adaptable.

Ancient Uses of Wild Triticeae

People have been using wild Triticeae plants for a very long time. Evidence from a site in Israel shows that people were gathering, processing, and cooking grains from these plants as far back as 23,000 years ago! Many of our modern crops, like wheat, were first grown and tamed (domesticated) in the Middle East.

Triticeae as Pastoral Grasses

"Pastoral" means related to raising animals. Triticeae grasses have been used for feeding animals for thousands of years. Some scientists even think that early humans might have planted these grains to attract wild animals closer to their settlements for easier hunting.

Today, rye and other Triticeae plants are still used to feed livestock like cattle. They are also planted to protect grasslands and provide food for animals without bringing in new, possibly harmful, plant species from other parts of the world.

See also

In Spanish: Triticeae para niños