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  • Current: Jun 26, 2021

Cereal

A cereal is an edible seed of plants in the family Poaceae (Gramineae).

The family Poaceae is the fifth-largest plant family that contains about 800 genera and 12,000 species. Major cereals include rice, wheat, maize, and barley (photo).

Green barley

Definitions in the literature

  • Scientifically, a cereal is defined as a grain or edible seed that belongs to the Gramineae family [1].