{{short description|Herbaceous, broad-leaved flowering plant}} {{Redirect|Forbs|the former football player|Forbs (footballer)}} [[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 (grass, sedge, or rush). The term is used in botany and in vegetation ecology especially in relation to grasslands<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 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. In older usage, this sometimes includes graminids and other plants currently not regarded as forbs.
==Guilds== Forbs are members of a 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 taxonomic relationships between organisms.
[[File:Asclepiascommon.JPG|thumb|200px|right|Milkweed (''Asclepias'')]]
==In informal classification== In addition to its use in ecology, the term "forb" may be used for subdividing popular guides to wildflowers,<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, shrubs, and trees.<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 clovers, sunflowers, daylilies, and 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== *''Helianthus annuus'' (sunflower)<ref>{{Cite web |title=USDA Plants Database |url=https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/HEAN3 |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=plants.usda.gov}}</ref> *''Raphanus sativus'' (radish)<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kohler |first1=Florian |last2=Verhulst |first2=Jort |last3=Van Klink |first3=Roel |last4=Kleijn |first4=David |date=2008 |title=At what spatial scale do high-quality habitats enhance the diversity of forbs and pollinators in intensively farmed landscapes? |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01394.x |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |language=en |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=753–762 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01394.x |bibcode=2008JApEc..45..753K |issn=1365-2664}}</ref> *''Taraxacum officinale'' (dandelion)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taraxacum officinale |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/taroff/all.html |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=www.fs.usda.gov}}</ref> *''Valeriana officinalis'' (valerian)<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Scharfy |first1=Deborah |last2=Funk |first2=Andrea |last3=Olde Venterink |first3=Harry |last4=Güsewell |first4=Sabine |date=2011 |title=Invasive forbs differ functionally from native graminoids, but are similar to native forbs |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03531.x |journal=New Phytologist |language=en |volume=189 |issue=3 |pages=818–828 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03531.x |pmid=21087259 |bibcode=2011NewPh.189..818S |issn=1469-8137}}</ref> ==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 [https://plants.usda.gov/growth_habits_def.html link] to Growth habits Codes and Definitions.
Category:Plant morphology Category:Plants by habit Category:Plant life-forms