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 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

Fill in as we go — Roots, Culms, Stolons, Rhizomes, Leaves.

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

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

How the leaf blade sits in cross-section — check this alongside the ligule.

Leaf blade shape icon key

"The general structure of the spikelet is consistent within the genus. This occurrence makes the identification of grasses much easier." — Van Oudtshoorn, 2002

How long an individual plant lives, and whether it stays in a tuft or creeps.

Perenniality icon key

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

Grazing status icon key

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

A different classification again — this describes the broader vegetation region a grass grows in (rainfall, altitude, soil), separate from Ecological Status and Grazing Value.

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

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)

🌟 Bonus Grasses

Not required for the 19 Sept 2026 practical, but seen at Combretum Park — good to know but not essential.

Quiz