Poaceae Poales, but the seagrasses are members of order Alismatales. The name Poaceae was given by John Hendley Barnhart in 1895, based on the tribe Poeae described in 1814 by Robert Brown, and the type genus "Poa" described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek . Grasses include some of the most versatile plant life-forms. They became widespread toward the end of the Cretaceous period, and fossilized dinosaur dung (coprolites) have been found containing phytoliths of a variety that include grasses that are related to modern rice and bamboo. Grasses have adapted to conditions in
Smallest organisms cetacean, which is also (as of 2006) the most endangered, is the vaquita. Male vaquitas grow to an average of around 135 cm (53 in); the females are slightly longer, averaging about 141 cm (55 in) in length. Duckweeds of the genus "Wolffia" are the world's smallest flowering plants. Fully grown, they measure only 300 µm by 600 µm and reach a mass of just 150 µg. Nanobes are thought by some scientists to be the smallest known organisms about one tenth the size of the smallest known bacteria. Nanobes, tiny filamental structures first found in some rocks and sediments,