1. Plant Identification ANSC 110 September 7, 2010 Going to discuss:
Important vocabulary for all plant species
Characteristics of grasses and legumes
Provide examples with pictures and descriptions of common pasture grasses and legumes

2. What Defines a “Good” Pasture Species?
Palatable*
Nutritious
Dense growing
Hearty (recovers well)
Tolerant to climatic extremes
Resistant to pests
Nutritious – provides animals with the energy, protein, vitamins and minerals that they need
Dense growing – good vegetative cover and enough forage species available

3. Forage Classification
GRASSES
Perennials
Cool Season
Warm Season
Annuals
LEGUMES
Perennials
Cool Season
Warm Season
Annuals
FORAGE: Edible parts of plants, other than separated grain, that can provide feed for grazing animals, or that can be harvested for feeding. Includes browse, herbage, and mast.
Perennial – come back more than once
Annual – grows and dies in one season

4. Plant Vocabulary Grass: monocots (one seed leaf)
herbaceous plant
parallel leaf veins
fibrous root system
bear seed on an elongated seed stalk
Legume: dicots (two seed leaves)
“netted” leaf veins
usually have a taproot
produce seed in a pod
nitrogen fixation
Legumes may contain a bacteria rhizobium with whom they interact to fix Nitrogen leading to a higher N content of the plant. Crude Protein measures of feeds are simply a measure of N content, therefore, legumes have higher CP content than grasses. Increases growth and decreases fertilization needed.
Draw different leaf examples.

5. Grass or Legume? Left – Kentucky Bluegrass
Right – Alfalfa Leave (serrated edges)

6. Plant Vocabulary
Annual: A plant that germinates, grows, reproduces, and dies in one growing season
Perennial: A plant that has the ability to live for more than one year
Biennials – weak perennials that usually die after the second growing season
Annuals reproduce ONLY by seed
Perennials reproduce either by seed or vegetatively (i.e., send up new plants from existing root structure) - may appear to die back, but can recover

7. Plant Vocabulary
Warm Season Plants: plants that begin growth and/or are planted in the spring or early summer and do most of their growth during the warmest part of the year
Cool Season Plants: plants that begin growth and/or are planted in the fall or early spring and do most of their growth during the coolest months of the year (except during winter)
Warm season plants – Most plants native to Maryland
Cool season plants – dormant in the winter

8. Grasses About 40 species commonly used for pastures
Monocots (monocotyledons)
Identification:
Parts of the plant
Inflorescence
Root system
Color
Growth habit
Monocot = plant containing one cotyledon, or seed leaf (monocot and dicot refer to the appearance of the plant when it first germinates – if only one leaf appears, it’s a monocot, if two appear, it’s a dicot)
Parts of the plant – stem & leaf parts
Inflorescence – “flowers” / seedheads
Growth habit – sod or clump forming?

10. Grasses – Plant Parts Parts of the stem (culm)
Node – solid joint of a grass stem where leaf sheaths are attached to stem
Internode – region of the stem between the nodes

11. Grasses – Plant Parts Parts of the leaf
Blade – portion of leaf connected to the sheath
Sheath – surrounds the stem above the node where it is attached
Collar – region at the junction of the sheath and blade
Ligule – appendage that clasps the stem where the sheath and blade join
Auricle – outgrowths from the base of the blade
Collar region - where the sheath begins to enclose the stem
Ligule – may be a membrane, a fringe of hairs, or a hardened ring, and is generally a reliable characteristic for identification
Auricle - earlike lobe; may be prominent and encircle the stem or may inconspicuous or may be absent

13. Collar Region - Ligule Fringed/Hairy Absent Membranous Rounded
Ligule – appendage that clasps the stem where the sheath and blade join
Membranous – “opaque white color”
Photos © University of California, IPM project
Truncated/Short
Toothed
Tapered

14. Collar Region - Auricles
Underdeveloped
Claw-like
Auricle – outgrowths from the base of the blade
Absent
Rounded
Photos © University of California, IPM project

15. Collar Region - Sheath Closed Overlapping Split
Sheath – surrounds the stem above the node where it is attached. Leaf starts at node and goes up the stem.
Split
Photos © University of California, IPM project

16. Plant Characteristics
Inflorescence (plant head, seed, flower/fruit)
Panicle – many branches
Spike – unbranced axis
Raceme – spikelets on one branch
Awns – appendage on ends of seeds
Length, number
Look for most obvious characteristics first!!!
Awns – more characteristic of range plants in the west, but some plants here, too (wheat is a good example)
Draw example inflorescence

17. Types of Inflorescences
Many grass seedheads are so compact that they will appear to be a spike, but may really be panicle (for example, timothy is a compact panicle, but appears to be a spike). Examples of true spike panicles include wheat, crabgrass (panicle of spiked branches)

18. Awns
Annual Ryegrass AWNS
Perennial Ryegrass NO AWNS

19. Plant Characteristics - Roots
Root System
Rhizomes
Stolons
Fibrous
Corm – timothy has a corm – looks like a miniature bulb on the root system
Solon – above ground
Rhizome – below ground

20. Root System Fibrous - Rhizomes Fibrous - Stolons Taproot
Photos © University of California, IPM project
Fibrous - Bunchgrass
Taproot

21. Plant Characteristics - Color
Orchardgrass
Bermudagrass – silver in color
Orchardgrass – bluish in color
Bermudagrass

22. Plant Characteristics - Leaf growth
Folded
Rolled
Folded – Orchard Grass
Rolled – Tall Fescue or Timothy

23. Common Characteristics of Some Pasture Species
GRASSES

24. Timothy Phleum pratense Cool season perennial Medium height
Haplocorm in mature plants
Leaf blades are rolled
Gently ribbed upper, smooth under
Seedhead = compact panicle
No auricles
Pointed or rounded ligule
Round sheath
Grows in the fall and early spring
Heading stage = when the seedhead appears
Haplocorm – resembles a small bulb (for carbohydrate storage)
Rolled leaf blades as opposed to folded (within the shoot) – smooth underneath
Prominent vein
Panicle – many branches

25. Timothy
Common characteristic of timothy
Seedheads of timothy grass

26. Orchardgrass Dactylis glomerata Cool season perennial
Tall-growing, bunch grass
No rhizomes or stolons
Folded leaf blades
Sheath flattened
No auricles
Membranous ligule
Seedhead - clustered spikelet; seeds are slightly curved
Bunchgrass – individual plants appear as distinct clumps or bunches with open spaces between

27. Orchardgrass
Seedheads
Seed heads - curved
Folded Leaf Blades

28. Kentucky Bluegrass Poa pratensis Cool season perennial
Short - medium height, sod-forming (rhizomes)
Folded leaves
Boat-shaped tips
Green/Dark green in color
No auricles
Collar sometimes hairy
Membranous ligule
Seedhead - open pyramidal panicle
Sod-forming – grasses gradually spread to fill in open areas and form dense sods
Boat shaped Tip
More narrow than tall fescue and orchard grass
Highly palatable
Low yields, low summer production

29. Kentucky Bluegrass…

30. Tall Fescue Festuca arundinacea Cool season perennial
Bunchgrass (short rhizomes)
Coarse, tough roots
Ribbed leaves (serrated edges)
Auricles blunt with fine hairs
Short membranous ligule
Seedhead = branched panicle with elliptical spikelets
Seeds have a short awn
Collar of tall fescue
When rubbed backwards, leaves feel “sticky” (otherwise may be mistaken for orchardgrass pre-heading)
Prominent veins in the leaves

31. Tall fescue…
Resistant to drought

32. Reed Canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea Leaves rolled No auricles
Collar may be divided
Large membranous toothed ligule, sometimes hairy on back
Wide leaf blade, smooth
Seedhead - densely flowered, spreading to narrow panicle
Not very palatable, however very nutritious
New varieties have higher palatability, trials to be conducted here in Maryland to see if it competes well against Timothy for horses.
Wide leaf blade
Not tolerant of close grazing
Well adapted to wet, saturated soils

33. Reed Canarygrass
Seed head resembles timothy, but larger and looser

34. Digitaria sanguinalis
Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis
Warm season annual
Reaches 2-4 ft. in height
Creeping grass, long runners
Wide leaves hairy at base
Rolled leaves
Stiff ligule
Seedhead spikes at top of stems
Often considered a weed, but highly nutritious
Cannot mow very easily

35. (Winter) Wheat Triticum aestivum Cool season annual Rolled leaves
Round, smooth split sheath
Broad collar
Small hairy auricles
Membranous ligule
Long rounded blades
Seedhead - Crowded thick spike, long awns
Good late winter grazing (cultivated winter annual)
Very nutritious

36. Wheat…

37. Smooth Bromegrass
Bromus inermis
Cool season perennial
Sod-forming (deep-rooted rhizomes)
Blades narrow
No auricles
Ligule – membranous, truncate to rounded
Round sheath
Seedhead - Open panicle; 5 to 11 florets per spikelet
Most widely-used cool season grass in N. America – not very common in most of Maryland, however grows well in N. and W. parts of the state
Highly palatable
'W'-shaped constriction at approximately the midpoint of the leaf blade.

38. Smooth Bromegrass
Erect panicle (many branches)

39. Annual Ryegrass Lolium multiflorum Cool season annual Bunch grass
High palatability and digestibility
Rolled leaves, prominently ridged on upper surface; smooth glossy and hairless on under surface
Claws on auricle
Membranous ligule sometimes with hairs
Seedhead - solitary spike with alternately arranged spikelets; seeds have awns
More tolerant of heat than perennial version, but still not well suited to heat
Suited to poorly drained soils, good for erosion control (quick to establish) – sod-forming
Less winter hardy than orchardgrass or tall fescue

40. Annual Ryegrass
Leaves appear shiny (see photo on right)

41. Perennial Ryegrass Lolium perenne L. Cool season perennial
Good for erosion prevention
Quick to establish
Undersurface of leaves is shiny dark green
leaves are folded
Inflorescence stems are nearly naked
Seedhead - spikes with spikelets growing edgewise to seedhead stem; No awns
Distinguishing it from annual variety  collar and blade are narrower and seeds have no awns
Often confused with Kentucky Bluegrass

42. Perennial Ryegrass

43. Bermudagrass Cynodon dactylon Warm season perennial
Good for erosion control (sod-forming)
May become invasive
Spreads by rhizomes, stolons and seed
Stems are short-jointed
Leaves are flat and spreading
Leaves may be hairy or smooth
Seedhead = two rows of spikelets on finger-like spikes
White collar region with sparse, relatively long hairs
Often confused with crabgrass (both are warm-season) – to distinguish, bermuda grass has narrower leaves and is much “tougher”
Tremendous ability to spread quickly – spreads by rhizomes

44. Bermudagrass Left – shows fibrous root system with rhizomes
Good grass for cattle

45. Common Characteristics of Some Pasture Species
LEGUMES

46. Legumes Dicot plants Legume roots host Rhizobium bacteria
Two seed-bearing leaves
Legume roots host Rhizobium bacteria
Often have taproots
Trifoliate leaves
Shape of leaflets
Texture (hairy, shiny, etc.)
Dicot = two seed-bearing leaves
Taproot (i.e. carrot-like)
taproots of alfalfa plants have been known to penetrate 20 feet
White clover has a shallow root system
Trifoliate = three leaflets that make up one leaf
Leaf shape can identify the plant

47. Legume – Plant Parts
Petiole – the stalk by which a leaf is attached to the stem (leafstalk)
Stipules – a pair of leaf-like outgrowths / appendages that occur at the base of the petiole
Stolons – shoot that bends to the ground or that grows horizontally above ground

48. Legume Plant Parts

50. Inflorescence – Legumes/ Weeds
In order, left-right, top-bottom: Spike, Racene, Panicle, Umbel, Compound Umbel, Corymb, Cyne, Cluster, Solitary

51. Alfalfa Medicago sativa Cool-season perennial 15-25 inches tall
Pinnately trifoliate leaves arranged alternately on the stem
Leaves are toothed towards the tips
Slender stipules fused to the petiole
Flowers - generally pink-purple, but may be white or yellow
Predominant for haymaking
Toothed tips of leaves

52. Alfalfa…
Note toothed margin of alfalfa leaflet; note multi-colored flowers (unusual)

53. Ladino Clover Trifolium repens Giant form of white clover
Cool season perennial
Spread by stolons
8-12 inches tall
Tri-foliate leaves, shiny underneath, often marked with v-shaped pattern
Flower - White ball-shape
Spreads by stolons

54. Ladino Clover…

55. Red Clover Trifolium pratense Cool season perennial
Hairy leaves and stems
Erect – grows 2-3 feet tall
Large leaves, prominent v-shaped water mark
Flower - pinkish-violet in dense clusters
Incredibly hairy stem

56. Red Clover… V-shaped water mark on leaf
There are several other legume species, but they are not typically the desired forage species for a pasture. They can be toxic to horses and we will cover those in our toxic plants talk in a couple weeks.

57. Birdsfoot Trefoil
Crown Vetch
Crimson Clover
Sericea Lespedeza

58. USEFUL WEBSITES http://www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/Tutorial/forindx.htm
West Virginia University – NRCS Forage Identification Slide Set
USDA Plants Fact Sheets Database
Click on Fact Sheets and Plant Guides on left column
Purdue Forage Information (great photos!)
Forage Identification and Use Guide (Univ. of Kentucky)