Figure 3. Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) – A. Has a narrow, v-shaped blade with boat-shaped leaftip; B. rhizomes; and C. open panicle with small spikelets grouped in clusters.
This section deals with the identification of plants that are commonly found in pastures and hay fields. The first part deals with the useful plants that we wish to grow, and the second part deals with the weeds, some of which are poisonous.
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| Figure 2. represents the parts of a grass plant which may be used for identification. |
Figure 3. Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) – A. Has a narrow, v-shaped blade with boat-shaped leaftip; B. rhizomes; and C. open panicle with small spikelets grouped in clusters. |
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| Figure 4. Orchardgrass (Dactylis flomerata) – A. Broad, v-shaped blade with very prominent midrib, sheath flattened, keeled; B. ligule is very tall and membranous; C. broad yellow collar; D. panicle inflorescence with clumped spikelets. |
Figure 5. Timothy (Phleum pratense) – A. Broad flat smooth blade; B. panicle inflorescence as a dense cylinder; C. corms (bulb-like shape) found at base of stem. |
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Figure 6. Smooth Bromegrass (Bromus inermis) – A. Wide, flat blade, sheath round (closed to near the top); B. large open panicle inflorescence; C. rhizomes; D. water mark on the blade (an M or W mark across the middle of the blade). |
Figure 7. Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) – A. Rough, flat blade, with prominent veins and pointed tip; B. auricles are small, short, and hairy; C. short rhizomes and stems flat but not sharply keeled; D. open panicle with spikelets. |
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Figure 8 identifies parts of the legume plants and shows a detailed picture of one leaf from each plant to be discussed. |
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Figure 9. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) – A. Pinnately (narrow) trifoliate leaf; B. outer one-half to one-third of leaflet is serrated;C. short, raceme type inflorescence with spiral-like seed pod. |
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Figure 10. Ladino clover (Trifolium repens) – A. Palmately (broad) trifoliate with v-shaped watermark; B. weakly serrated leaflet; C. no trifoliate leaf from bloom to stolon; D. white with a pinkish hue to inflorescence. White clover is a smaller variety of the clover. |
Figure 11. Red clover (Trifolium pratensen) – A. Palmately trifoliate leaf with football-shaped leaflets and v-shaped watermarks; B. sheath-like stipule; C. distinctly pubescent; D. has a trifoliate leaf just below a red inflorescence. |
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Figure 12. Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) – A. Pinnately (5 leaflets) compound leaf; B. not pubescent; C. yellow to orange umbel inflorescence; D. seed pods resemble shape of bird’s foot. |
Figure 13. Yellow sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis) – A. Pinnately trifoliate leaf; B. completely serrated leaflet; C. long and erect yellow raceme inflorescence; D. small stipules. There is also a white sweetclover (Melilotus alba) that looks the same except it has a white inflorescence. |