Cereal

:This article is about grains. See also breakfast cereal

Cereal crops

True cereals

The cereal crops are (in approximate order of greatest annual production):

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• wheat, the primary cereal of temperate regions
• rice, the primary cereal of tropical regions
• maize, a staple food of peoples in North America, South America, and Africa and of livestock worldwide; called "corn" in North America and Australia
• the millets, a group of similar but distinct cereals that form an important staple food in Asia and Africa.
• sorghum, important staple food in Asia and Africa and popular worldwide for livestock
• rye and triticale, important in cold climates
• oats, formerly the staple food of Scotland and popular worldwide for livestock
• barley, grown for malting and livestock on land too poor or too cold for wheat
• teff, popular in Ethiopia but scarcely known elsewhere
• wild rice, grown in small amounts in North America
• spelt, a close relative of wheat

Pseudocereals

In addition, several non-grasses that are grown for their seed may also be referred to as cereals. These pseudocereals include (in no particular order):

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• buckwheat
• amaranth
• quinoa
• kañiwa
• cockscomb