Grass Guide
Reference this any time — inflorescence shape, ligule type, and spikelet structure are usually the fastest way to narrow a grass down to its genus before you match the exact species.
Whole plant & spikelet anatomy
Whole plant anatomy — culm, node, leaf blade, sheath & ligule, inflorescence
Study notes — spikelet anatomy
Typical structure of the leaf blade — ligule, blade, midrib, collar area, sheath, node
Characteristic features
Fill in as we go — Roots, Culms, Stolons, Rhizomes, Leaves.
Inflorescence types
The overall shape of the seed head is often the very first clue — check this before you even get close enough to look at the ligule.
The big picture — every type below sits under one of three main branches: Unbranched (spike), Panicles, or Digitate
Side by side — digitate, panicle, and spike-like, for a quick visual comparison
What to check when identifying an inflorescence: Type · Length · Type of spikelet · Presence of hairs or awns · Arrangement of racemes around the central axis.
Ligule types
A ligule is a membrane or line of hairs on the upper leaf surface, at the junction of the leaf sheath and blade.
Ligule type icon key
Leaf blade shape
How the leaf blade sits in cross-section — check this alongside the ligule.
Leaf blade shape icon key
Node ID clues
Genus spikelet guide
"The general structure of the spikelet is consistent within the genus. This occurrence makes the identification of grasses much easier." — Van Oudtshoorn, 2002
Perenniality
How long an individual plant lives, and whether it stays in a tuft or creeps.
Perenniality icon key
Common confusion pair
Sporobolus vs Eragrostis: the spikelets look alike at first glance. Under a loupe — Sporobolus has a SINGLE-flowered spikelet; Eragrostis has MULTIPLE florets per spikelet.
Plant succession
Where a grass sits in the sequence from bare ground to stable, mature veld — this is the "Succession" tag you'll see on each grass card in the Learn tab.
Plant succession icon key
Ecological status
Grazing status icon key
Grazing value
A separate scale from Ecological Status — this measures how palatable/nutritious a grass is, not how it responds to grazing pressure.
Grazing value icon key
Veld types
A different classification again — this describes the broader vegetation region a grass grows in (rainfall, altitude, soil), separate from Ecological Status and Grazing Value.
Spikelet anatomy glossary
Parts of a spikelet with a single floret — awn, stigma, lemma, filament, ovary, anther, glume, pedicel
Same parts, plus the palea — easy to miss since it's tucked behind the lemma
Zooming in — inflorescence → spikelet → floret, showing lemma, palea, stigma, stamen and lodicule together
Real photo closeup — palea, lemma, ovary and lodicule
Extra reference photos (uncategorised)
Holding area for reference images not yet sorted into a proper section — likely to become their own tab later.
Whole plant structure (textbook version) — for comparison with Abi's hand-drawn diagram above
Ecological status table (textbook reference)
Ecological status definitions (textbook reference, longer form)