Wheat and Its Relatives
Wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, wild rice, sorghum, corn and even sugar cane are all related . They are all from the plant kingdom, in the subkingdom Tracheobionta (vascular plants), the superdivision Spermatophyta (seed plants), division Magnoliophyta (flowering plants), class Monocotyledons, the subclass Commelinidae, the order Cyperales and the plant family Poaceae or Gramineae grasses, which contains 334 Genera, according to the USDA.
It is only when you get to the subfamilies that there are differences, according to a website with extensive information on plant families (Enzyme Stuff), including wheat and related plants. Those are the differences that make all the difference to someone with a gluten intolerance such as celiac disease.
The subfamily Bambusoideae contains bamboo, including bamboo shoots which are eaten as well as used in Chinese medicine. Rice, wild rice and Zizania latifolia Gau Sun, used as a green vegetable in China and South Asia are Bambusoideae.. Bamboo shoots, rice and wild rice are more closely related than for example rice and corn.
The herbal medicine Lemon grass and it oily product citronella are in the subfamily Panicoideae, along with Saccharum officinarum (Sugar Cane) and Sorghum. Popcorn, Sweet Corn and miillets are also in this subfamily along with Green Bristle Grass, the wild ancestor of Foxtail Millet.
Sorghum is in the same subfamily as sugarcane and corn. So if you have a problem with corn, instead of wheat, you might also have a problem with sorghum and sugar cane but not wheat, rye and barley.
Pooideae Subfamily
The next subfamily is Pooideae, which contains all the plants with the allergen, gluten. The most problematic forms are in the tribe Triticeae, but some people react to the Aveneae (oats) as well.
The Tribe Triticeae, which includes Aegilops squarrosa, a wild ancestor of wheat and Lyme Grass, used in Japan for rope, mats and paper.
Hordeum Barley is in the Triticeae tribe and used both for food and fermented for beer and whisky. Pearl barley is not a distinct type of barley, but the result of a milling process. Also closely related to wheat is Secale cereale Rye and Triticale, a hybrid of wheat and rye, mainly used as animal feed.
Triticum Wheat, includes Bread Wheat, Durum Wheat, Spelt, Polish Wheat and River Wheat.
Things commonly made from these wheats and closely related grains include many breads, pastas, cookies, pastries, pizza crust, beer, white vinegars, and ethyl alcohol (grain alcohol).
The Subfamily Pooideae also includes most people's lawn in the Tribe Poeae, Festuca Fescue (forage grasses) and Lolium Rye grasses (forage, weeds, lawn grasses and common meadow grass).
Anything you eat can be poorly digested and turn into an irritant. It is important to figure out what the primary problem is in any kind of dietary or digestive problem.
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