Courtesy A. J. Turgeon |
The most visible components of grass plants are the alternately occurring
leaves. The lower portion is called the leaf sheath while the upper portion
is the leaf blade. At the junction of the blade and the sheath on the inner
side is the ligule; on the outer side is the collar. In some grasses, the
base of the leaf blade extends into two appendages called auricles. At
the base is the crown. Elongation of the stem internodes occurs during
flowering when a culm emerges and terminates in an inflorescence. Other
stems include those associated with rhizomes and stolons. Roots of a grass
plant are of two types: seminal and adventitious. In a new turfgrass plant
from seed, a rhizomelike structure, called a mesocotyl, may be present.
|
