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Inbotany andecology, agraminoid refers to aherbaceous plant with a grass-like morphology,[1] i.e., elongatedculms with long, blade-like leaves. They are contrasted withforbs, herbaceous plants without grass-like features.
The plants most often referred to include the familiesPoaceae (grasses in the strict sense),Cyperaceae (sedges), andJuncaceae (rushes). These are not closely related but belong to differentclades in the orderPoales. The grasses (Poaceae) are by far the largest family, with some 12,000 species.
Besides their similar morphology, graminoids share a widespread occurrence and often dominance in open habitats such asgrasslands ormarshes. They can, however, also be found in theunderstory of forests. Sedges and rushes tend to prefer wetter habitats than grasses.
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The wordgraminoid is derived from Latingrāmen 'grass;herb', with the suffix-oid denoting '-like; resembling, characteristic of'.