If one were in the habit of identifying grasses, then the presence of visible and distinctive structures on the spikelets would be one way to ease the pain of such an endeavor. Fortunately, many grasses have long projections from these reproductive structures that go a long way towards helping the observer. These so-called awns are…
Thanks to a reader who corrected my incomplete definition of the carpel! What constitutes the family Poaceae? How do we delineate them from other plants? Do the members of this plant family have certain features that are unique to the group and are found nowhere else in the plant kingdom? At first glance, many might…
