Monocot Plants: Family, Order, and Representative
Genera and Agricultural Crops

Hereunder is a partial list of monocot families and other information relevant to plant classification. It has already been discussed that classification of plants into various groupings is important in agriculture. For example, having leaves with penni-parallel venation is a useful guide in identifying crops under the order Zingiberales (gingers and bananas).

Agricultural crops belonging to the same family also possess common characteristics knowledge of which may become useful in their culture. They may have similar adaptation or be a host to the same pest or pathogen. In conventional plant breeding, hybridization within the same family through interspecific and intergeneric crosses have yielded successful results.

This list was made largely from Simpson (2010). Supplementary information from other references are attached such as alternative common names of families and representative crops.

Table M-1. List of selected monocot families, their respective order, and representative genera of family.

^*The following families of monocot plants have been expanded by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG III[2009]) to include the families as specified (Simpson 2010):

^aAmaryllidaceae (order Asparagales): Agapanthaceae (order Liliales, ex. Agapanthus) and Alliaceae or Onion family (order Asparagales).

^bAsparagaceae (order Asparagales): Agavaceae, Aphyllanthaceae, Hyacinthaceae, Laxmanniaceae, Ruscaceae, Themidaceae or Brodiaea family.

^cXanthorrhoeaceae (order Asparagales): Asphodelaceae, Hemerocallidaceae.

^dTyphaceae (order Poales): Sparganiaceae.

^**Order Zingiberales (gingers and bananas) comprises of the following monocot families: “gingers” – Marantaceae, Cannaceae, Zingiberaceae, Costaceae; and “bananas” – Heliconiaceae, Lowiaceae, Strelitziaceae, Musaceae (Simpson 2010).

REFERENCES

CULLINA W. 2008. Native Ferns, Moss & Grasses. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. 256.

MERRILL ED. 1912. A Flora of Manila. Manila: Bureau of Printing. 491 p.

SIMPSON MG. 2010. Plant Systematics. 2nd ed. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Inc. 740 p.

STEINER ML. 1986. Philippine Ornamental Plants and Their Care. 3rd ed. Las Pinas, Metro Manila: M&L Licudine Enterprises. 233 p.

THE ESSENTIAL GARDENING ENCYCLOPEDIA. 2003. San Francisco, CA: Fog City Press. 608 p.

(Ben G. Bareja Oct. 2012)

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