1. Forage Grass Seed Identification
Presented by Mary Anne Anderson
June 13, 2007

2. Coaching an Agronomy Team
Teach Identification First
Start with Basic Anatomy
Teach seeds which look alike to avoid confusion
Ex. Crested and Intermediate Wheatgrass

3. Forage Grass Seed External Anatomy
Awn
Lemma
Palea
Rachilla

4. Timothy Phleum pratense
small, rounded shape
pale brown seed with tan hull
may or may not have lemma and palea attached
1 - 2 mm

5. Kentucky Bluegrass Poa pratensis
darker straw color
small grass, mm

6. Orchardgrass Dactylis glomerata
light straw color
boat shaped palea edge
fuzz on lemma
4 - 6 mm

7. Tall Fescue Schedonorus phoenix
rachilla is golf tee shape
sides of seed are slightly curved
5 - 7 mm

8. Crested Wheatgrass Agropyron cristatum
palea sides are parallel
edges barbed
short awns

9. Intermediate Wheatgrass Elytrigia intermedia
9-12 mm
palea boat-shaped
palea edges smooth

10. Green Needlegrass Nassella viridula
pale, yellow/green and brown seeds
awns may be present, > 5mm
lemma spin clearly visible

11. Bluebunch Wheatgrass Agropyron spicatum
tips of lemma (away from rachilla) are frayed
short awns may be present
most seed ends look like they have run through a paper shredder

12. Smooth Brome Bromus inermis
lemma wrinkled
flattened seed
large seed
brown shades

13. Reed Canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea
seed coat shiny
pale, light brown and yellow/green seeds
tear drop shaped

14. Creeping Foxtail Alopecurus arundinaceus
strong V in the end of lemma
seed color varying shades of grey
seed coat edges fuzzy

15. Quackgrass Elytrigia repens
large seed (8-15 mm)
divot in rachilla clearly visible
biggest grass seed on the state list

16. Cheatgrass Bromus tectorum
long awns
nasty, brown or yellow/brown seeds
large seeds
messy sample

17. For additional information:
USDA Plant Database
The Ohio State University Seed Id. Workshop
University of Kentucky Agripedia