Taxonomic Classification of Grain Species

Abstract

The Linnaean system of taxonomic classification provides a uniform method for grouping grain species in hierarchies that reflect evolutionary relationships. As such, grain species are divided into the two major phylogenetic lines of cereals (monocots: grass family) and noncereal grains (dicots: multiple families). While there are disagreements over how to adapt traditional taxonomy to the rapidly changing concepts brought by the advances in molecular genetic techniques, the role of taxonomic classification as an important scientific tool for naming and grouping grain species still stands. Many of the taxonomic names of grain species have historical origins in the vernacular of the locales where they were grown. The scientific names that have built on or replaced the original common names now provide a universal system that ensures a uniform method for identifying and communicating about a given grain species.