Editing Forb

{{short description|Herbaceous, broad-leaved flowering plant}}
{{Redirect|Forbs|the former football player|Forbs (footballer)|the American business magazine|Forbes}}
[[File:A sunflower.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Sunflower]] (''Helianthus annuus''), a large forb]]
A '''forb''' or '''phorb''' is a [[herbaceous]] [[flowering plant]] that is not a [[graminoid]] ([[Poaceae|grass]], [[Cyperaceae|sedge]], or [[Juncaceae|rush]]). The term is used in [[botany]] and in vegetation [[ecology]] especially in relation to [[grassland]]s<ref name="isbn1-60692-024-3">{{cite book |author=Schröder, Hans |title=Grasslands: Ecology, Management and Restoration |publisher=Nova Science Publishers |location=Commack, N.Y |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60692-024-4 }}</ref> and [[understory]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Native Understory Forbs and Grasses|url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/plantmaterials/newsroom/feature/?cid=stelprdb1044923|website=www.nrcs.usda.gov|access-date=2021-05-02|archive-date=2022-03-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308061955/https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/plantmaterials/newsroom/feature/?cid=stelprdb1044923|url-status=dead}}</ref> Typically, these are [[eudicots]] without woody stems.

==Etymology==
The word ''forb'' is derived from [[Ancient Greek language|Greek]] {{Transliteration|grc|phorbḗ}} ({{lang|grc|φορβή}}) '[[pasture]]; [[fodder]]'.<ref name="isbn0-398-06179-3">{{cite book |author=Jaeger, Edmund C. |author-link=Edmund Jaeger |title=A source-book of biological names and terms |url=https://archive.org/details/sourcebookofbiol0000jaeg |url-access=registration |publisher=Thomas |location=Springfield, Ill |year=1959 |isbn=0-398-06179-3 }}</ref><ref name="isbn1-84356-026-7">{{cite book |author1=Scott, Robert Pickett |author2=Henry, George |title=Liddell and Scott's Greek-English Lexicon, Abridged: Original Edition, republished in larger and clearer typeface |publisher=Simon Wallenburg Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-84356-026-5 }}</ref>  The Hellenic spelling ''phorb'' is sometimes used, and in older usage this sometimes includes [[graminid]]s and other plants currently not regarded as forbs.

==Guilds==
Forbs are members of a [[Guild (ecology)|guild]]{{mdash}}a group of plant species with broadly similar growth forms.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Roxburgh|first=Stephen|title=A Demonstration of Guild Based Assembly Rules for a Plant Community and Determination of Intrinsic Guilds|journal=Oikos |date=1994 |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=267–276 |doi=10.2307/3546147 |jstor=3546147 |bibcode=1994Oikos..69..267W }}</ref> In certain contexts in ecology, guild membership may often be more important than the [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomic]] relationships between organisms.

[[File:Asclepiascommon.JPG|thumb|200px|right|[[Milkweed]]]]

==In informal classification==
In addition to its use in ecology, the term "forb" may be used for subdividing popular guides to [[wildflower]]s,<ref>{{Cite web| title=Wildflower seeds and forbs | url=https://graniteseed.com/seed/wildflowers-forbs/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=graniteseed.com}}</ref> distinguishing them from other categories such as grasses, sedges, [[shrub]]s, and [[tree]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-05-28|title=Describe the major differences between the plant families used as forages.|url=https://forages.oregonstate.edu/nfgc/eo/onlineforagecurriculum/instructormaterials/availabletopics/plantid/differences|access-date=2021-05-02|website=Forage Information System|language=en}}</ref> Some examples of forbs are [[clover]]s, [[sunflower]]s, [[daylily|daylilies]], and [[Asclepias|milkweed]].

'''Forb Adaptation Zones:'''
Kale and turnip are examples of forb adaptations distributed over much of Europe, southern Oceania, northern Asia, and northern North America. In cooler climates, these crops are grown year-round, while in warmer climates, they are used as winter forage.

==Examples==
[[Linnaean taxonomy]] [[family (biology)|family]] names are given.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/herbs.cfm | title=Invasive Plant Atlas | access-date=25 Sep 2021}}</ref>
<i>
[[Acanthaceae]],
[[Aizoaceae]],
[[Amaranthaceae]],
[[Apiaceae]],
[[Apocynaceae]],
[[Asclepiadaceae]],
[[Asteraceae]],
[[Balsaminaceae]],
[[Begoniaceae]],
[[Boraginaceae]],
[[Brassicaceae]],
[[Buxaceae]],
[[Campanulaceae]],
[[Cannabaceae]],
[[Caryophyllaceae]],
[[Chenopodiaceae]],
[[Clusiaceae]],
[[Convolvulaceae]],
[[Crassulaceae]],
[[Cucurbitaceae]],
[[Cuscutaceae]],
[[Dipsacaceae]],
[[Ericaceae]],
[[Euphorbiaceae]],
[[Fabaceae]],
[[Gentianaceae]],
[[Geraniaceae]],
[[Gunneraceae]],
[[Haloragaceae]],
[[Hydrophyllaceae]],
[[Lamiaceae]],
[[Lentibulariaceae]],
[[Limnanthaceae]],
[[Linaceae]],
[[Lythraceae]],
[[Malvaceae]],
[[Moraceae]],
[[Nyctaginaceae]],
[[Onagraceae]],
[[Orobanchaceae]],
[[Oxalidaceae]],
[[Papaveraceae]],
[[Phytolaccaceae]],
[[Plantaginaceae]],
[[Plumbaginaceae]],
[[Polemoniaceae]],
[[Polygonaceae]],
[[Portulacaceae]],
[[Primulaceae]],
[[Ranunculaceae]],
[[Resedaceae]],
[[Rosaceae]],
[[Rubiaceae]],
[[Scrophulariaceae]],
[[Solanaceae]],
[[Thymelaeaceae]],
[[Urticaceae]],
[[Valerianaceae]],
[[Verbenaceae]],
[[Violaceae]],
[[Zygophyllaceae]]
</i>

==See also==
*{{annotated link|Dicotyledon}} 
*{{annotated link|Herbaceous plant}} 
*{{annotated link|Overgrazing}}
*[[Tapestry lawn]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [[United States Department of Agriculture]] [[Natural Resources Conservation Service]] [http://plants.usda.gov/growth_habits_def.html link] to [[Growth habit]]s Codes and Definitions.

[[Category:Plant morphology]]
[[Category:Plants by habit]]
[[Category:Plant life-forms]]