Common wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Common wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a plant species in the Poaceae family; it is a robust, medium-to-tall grass with multiple jointed, usually hollow stems (culms) and long, narrow leaves that sheath the stem at the base, with one leaf emerging above each node.

The stem of T. aestivum terminates in a flower head containing approximately 20 to 100 flowers. These flowers are wind-pollinated, with self-pollination accounting for over 99% of pollination events and cross-pollination the remainder. The flowers are protected within a pair of small, leaf-like glumes; two stamens and the stigma protrude beyond the glumes.

The flowers are clustered into spikelets, each consisting of 2 to 6 flowers. The carpel develops into the wheat grain—a caryopsis fruit acting as the seed. Mature wheat grains are golden yellow.

Leaves emerge from the shoot's apical meristem, extending telescopically until the plant enters the reproductive phase. The final leaf is denser and exhibits a higher photosynthetic rate than the other leaves.

Wheat plants possess more stomata on the adaxial leaf surface than on the abaxial surface. Winter wheat typically produces up to 15 leaves per shoot, whereas spring wheat produces up to 9; winter wheat can develop up to 35 shoots per plant. The root system extends to a depth of up to 2 meters.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Tribe: Triticeae
Subtribe: Triticinae
Genus: Triticum L. in Sp. Pl.: 85 (1753)
Species: Triticum aestivum L. in Sp. Pl.: 85 (1753)
Subspecies: Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum, Triticum aestivum subsp. compactum (Host) H.Messik., Triticum aestivum subsp. macha (Dekapr. & Menabde) McKey, Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta (L.) Thell., Triticum aestivum subsp. sphaerococcum (Percival) Mac Key

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Aegilops aestiva (L.) D.L.Fu in Amer. J. Agric. Forest. 12: 297 (2024)
Frumentum triticum E.H.L.Krause in Bot. Centralbl. 73: 339 (1898)
Triticum aestivum proles vulgare Thell. in Naturwiss. Wochenschr., n.f., 17: 471 (1918)
Triticum aestivum subsp. vulgare Thell. in Fl. Adv. Montpellier: 142 (1912)
Triticum aristatum Schübl. in Diss. Char. Descr. Cereal.: 11 (1818)
Triticum aristatum aestivum (L.) Schübl. (1818)
Triticum cereale var. aestivum (L.) Klett & Richt. in Fl. Leipzig: 118 (1830)
Triticum sativum Lam. in Fl. Franç. 3: 625 (1779)
Triticum sativum var. aestivum (L.) Pers. in Syn. Pl. 1: 109 (1805)
Triticum sativum var. vulgare Desv. in Opusc. Sci. Phys. Nat.: 162 (1833)
Triticum sativum subsp. vulgare (Vill.) P.Fourn. in Quatre Fl. France: 89 (1934)
Triticum vulgare Vill. in Hist. Pl. Dauphiné 2: 153 (1787)
Triticum vulgare var. aestivum (L.) Willd. in Enum. Pl. Hort. Berol. 1: 133 (1809)
Triticum vulgare subsp. aestivum (L.) Arcang. in Comp. Fl. Ital.: 803 (1882)
Triticum vulgare convar. aristatum Alef. in Landw. Fl.: 330 (1866)
Triticum vulgare var. aristatum Döll in Rhein. Fl.: 70 (1843)

PUBLICATIONS

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VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Opslagkoring
Allier: Bla bourbonnais
Angika: Gehun
Arabic: قمح الخبز - قمح طري
Assamese: Ghenhu, Godhum, Gom
Asturian: Pan
Awadhi: Gohun
Belarusian: Пшаніца звычайная
Bengali: গোধূম - গম Godhuma, Gom
Bhojpuri: Gohun
Bodo: Mwida
Bourbonnais: Bla
Catalan: Blat
Chinese (simplified): 小麦
Chinese (traditional): 小麥
Croatian: Obična pšenica
Czech: Pšenice setá
Danish: Almindelig hvede
Dimasa: Gom
Dogri: Kanak
Dutch: Gewone tarwe
English: Common wheat, Bread wheat, Volunteer wheat, Wheat, Soft wheat
Estonian: Harilik nisu, Pehme nisu
Finnish: Leipävehnä, Vehnä
French: Blé tendre, Froment
Garo: Gom
German: Brotweizen
Greek: Μαλακό σιτάρι
Gujarati: Ghaun
Hebrew: חיטה רכה
Hindi: भुजम्बु - गेहूँ - गोधुम - सुमन Bhujambu, Gehun, Godhum, Suman
Hungarian: Közönséges búza
Indonesia: Gandum
Italian: Frumento, Grano tenero
Japanese: コムギ
Java: Gandum
Kannada: Godhi, Godhuma
Kashmiri: Godhumah, Guyu, Kanakh
Khasi: U Kew
Konkani: Gonvu
Korean: 밀
Ladakhi: Tochan
Latvian: Mīkstie kvieši
Lithuanian: Paprastasis kvietys
Maharashtra: गहू
Maithili: Gahun
Malayalam: Godambu, Godhumam, Gothampu
Malaysia: Gandum
Manipuri: Gehun
Marathi: Gahum, Godhuma
Mundari: Gohum
Nagamese: Ghehu
Nepali: गहुँ Gahun
Norwegian: Hvete
Odia: Bahu Dugdha, Gahama, Gahun, Gandhabihwala, Godhuma, Jabana, Prabata, Rasala, Sita Simbika, Sumana, Tripusha
Oria: Gonhu, Gaham
Pali: Godhuma
Persian: گندم Gandum
Polish: Pszenica zwyczajna
Portuguese: Trigo
Prakrit: Gohuma
Punjabi: Daro, Do, Kanak
Russian: Пшеница летняя - Пшеница мягкая
Sanskrit: Apupa, Bahudugdha, Bhujambu, Gandhavihvala, Godhuma, Goraksajambu, Nistusakshira, Nistusakshirin, Pravata, Rasala, Sumana, Yavana
Santali: Guhum
Seri: Caztaz
Sindhi: Bura, Gehun, Kanrika, Kanrkoun
Sinhala: තිරිඟු
Slovak: Pšenica letná
Spanish: Trigo, Tritiko
Swedish: Vete
Tamil: அலரி - இராசலம் - கொடுமை - மிலேச்சகம் - தனியா-ரகான் - துரங்க-பி-பிரியம் Alari, Iracalam, Kotumai, Mileccacam, Taniya-Racan, Turanka-P-Piriyam
Telugu: Godhuma, Godhumalu
Tibetan: Gro
Tswana: Korong
Tulu: Godhi
Turkish: Buğday
Ukrainian: Пшениця м'яка
Urdu: بھجامبو - گیہون - گودھم - گوہون - پمن - سمن Bhujambu, Gehun, Godhum, Gohun, Pamman, Suman
Vietnam: Lua mã

Aryo Bandoro
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