Poaceae  

Grasses can be small annual or perennial herbs or tall perennials with soft or stiff
woody, solid or hollow culms but solid nodes. The perennial grasses may have a
rootstock or be rhizomatous or stoloniferous. The leaves are alternate, usually
arranged in two rows on the stem. A leaf consists of a leaf-sheath and leaf-blade.
Characteristically, the leaf-base forms a leaf-sheath wrapped or closed around the
Culm. The leaf-blade may or may not be auriculate; the ligule at the base of leaf-
blade is characteristic and may be a conspicuous membranous structure or
Sometimes represented by just a rim of hairs or rarely may even be missing
Grasses are characterized by specialized units of inflorescence called spikelets
arranged in different kinds of compound inflorescence.