Turfgrass plants possess various anatomical features, which are necessary for proper identification.
Activity:
For this activity you are to collect a living turfgrass sample. Be sure to collect both above-ground and below-ground parts to assist in the identification process. Feel free to pick the samples apart to aid in identification. You may need to use a hand lens to see smaller parts. Use the OSU Turf ID Publication and Turf Anatomy & ID Student Packet for additional identification resources and a worksheet to assist with anatomy and identification. As different anatomical parts are identified, fill in the Anatomy and Identification worksheet. Keep in mind that not all anatomical features may be observed.
Turfgrass Plant
The image on the right has 6 camera icons. Click on each of these icons to view its content.
Turfgrass Crown
The turfgrass plant is a low growing monocot that differs from most other plants due to its unique growth. Unlike many plants, turfgrasses grow from a crown, which enable leaves to be cut from the top. The crown is located at or near the surface of the ground.
From the crown emerge leaves, roots, tillers, rhizomes, and stolons.
Leaves are the aboveground foliage that you see on a turfgrass plant.
Roots are the belowground component of the turfgrass plant.
Let's Find the Crown
Below are three photos. In each photo are boxes that could be the crown. Can you find in which box is the crown? Click in the box where you think the crown is.
Identify the crown, leaves, and roots on your turfgrass sample.
Photo #1
Photo: Van Cline, Ph.D.
Arg... Not right..
Nope... Not right..
That's not a crown...
Bingo...You got it right..
Photo #2
Arg... Not right..
Wrong...
Bingo, you got that right.
Photo #3
Photo: Chad Follis
Arg... Not right..
Bingo...You got it right..
Nope, you got that wrong. Try again.
Growth Habit
Tillers, Rhizomes, and Stolons
Tillers, rhizomes, and stolons characterize the growth habit of turfgrasses. Determining growth habit is one of the first steps to identifying turfgrasses. Once you determine growth habit based on the information below, record your turfgrass sample’s growth habit on the Turfgrass Identification WS.
Rhizomes
Let's Find the Rhizome
Using the photos below, try to identify the square that contains the rhizome. See the image on the right to see where the rhizome is located to help you with this activity.
Photo #1
Photo: Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D.
Naw...That's a seedhead....
Wrong!!!
Bingo got it right...
Photo #2
Photo: Chad Follis
Naw...That's not right....
Wrong!!!
Bingo got it right...
Stolons
Some grasses are stoloniferous, or grow stolons. Stolons are horizontally growing shoots that grow outward from the parent shoot. The only difference between a stolon and rhizome is that stolons grow above the soil surface. As with rhizomes, nodes along the stolon allow for new turf plants to grow.
Photos: J. Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D.
Examine if your turfgrass sample has stolons. Some turfgrass plants are both stoloniferous and rhizomatous. Check to see if your sample has both stolons and rhizomes.
Tillers or Bunch-type
Some grasses grow as tillers, which are individual plants. This is also known as bunch-type growth. Examine your turfgrass sample to see if it has bunch-type growth.
Photo: Matthew Naedel
Photo: OSU Turf ID Publication
Vernation
Vernation is the orientation of a newly emerging leaf. On turfgrass plants, the vernation is either rolled or folded. The newest leaf of a turfgrass plant always arises from the center of the shoot and can be located in the newly expanding bud leaf/shoot. Find the shoots on your sample and roll between your thumb and index finger. If it rolls easily, it is most likely rolled vernation. If it is more difficult to roll, it may be folded vernation. If you cannot determine vernation from this method, you can always cut a cross section of the shoot.
Photos: OSU Turf ID Publication
Record your turfgrass sample’s vernation on the Turfgrass Identification WS.
Ligule, Auricles, and Collar
Turfgrass leaves are the above ground foliage of the turfgrass plant. The leaf consists of a lower sheath, which surrounds the stem. From the sheath grows the leaf blade. There are 3 very important features located where the leaf blade and leaf sheath join that assist with identification. They include the ligule, auricles, and collar.
Ligule
The ligule can be found at the inside juncture of the leaf blade and the sheath. You may need a hand lens to see this feature. If a ligule is present, it will appear as a small piece of membranous tissue or hairs that project upward. Ligules may be absent, membranous, or appear as a fringe of hairs.
Photos: OSU Turf ID Publication
Identify the ligule on your sample and record it on the Turfgrass Identification WS.
Collar
The collar is a thickened zone of yellow-green colored tissue located on the backside of the leaf where the blade and sheath join. The collar is not as reliable for identification because it can vary for the same species of grass. Collars are often identified as continuous or divided. Divided collars are split by the midrib of the leaf blade. Continuous and divided collars can be classified as broad or narrow. Some turfgrasses are constricted at the collar.
Photos: A. J. Turgeon, Ph.D.
Identify the collar on your sample and record it on the Turfgrass Identification WS.
Auricles
Auricles are not always present. If present, the auricles appear as ear-like appendages that clearly project from either side of the collar. Auricles can be long and clawlike, short and stubby, or absent.
Photos: OSU Turf ID Publication
Identify the auricles on your sample and record it on the Turfgrass Identification WS.
Blade
Turfgrass leaf blades also hold clues for identification. The blade consists of the leaf tip and the leaf surface.
Leaf Tip
Leaf tips may be pointed, rounded, or boat-shaped.
Photos: OSU Turf ID Publication
Identify the type of leaf tip on your sample and record it on the Turfgrass Identification WS.
Leaf Surface
When looking at the leaf surface, the upper side of the leaf, or adaxial side, may be ridged, smooth, or hairy. It may also have a midrib, which is a vein running down the center of the leaf.
The backside of the leaf, or abaxial side, may be smooth, hairy, glossy, or form a keel. The keel is formed by the midrib.
Identify what you see on the adaxial and abaxial side of your sample’s leaf surface and record it on the Turfgrass Identification WS.
Turfgrass Inflorescence/Seedhead
Grass plants produce an inflorescence, which is the flowering part of the grass plant and bears seeds. The basic unit of the inflorescence is called the spikelet.
Photos: J. Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D.
There are three types of seedheads based on the arrangement of the spikelets – panicle, spike, and raceme.
Check to see if your sample has an inflorescence. Record the type of inflorescence on your Turfgrass Identification WS.
After reading the content above and based on the information you collected on your Turfgrass Identification worksheet, use the Turfgrass Anatomy charts for cool- and warm-season turfgrasses to identify your sample.
Photos: J. Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D.