grass. / grăs / Any of a large family ( Gramineae or Poaceae ) of monocotyledonous plants having narrow leaves, hollow stems, and clusters of very small, usually wind-pollinated flowers. Grasses include many varieties of plants grown for food, fodder, and ground cover . Grass Leaves (Sheath, Collar, Ligule, Blade, Inrolled ) Grass leaves have three main parts – a sheath that wraps around the stem, a collar that connects the sheath to the leaf blade, and the leaf blade itself. Bolander's Reedgrass . Photo courtesy Zoya Akulova -Barlow.
Grasses can be bunchy or sprawling and vary in texture. They have a jointed stem called a culm that is hallow except at the nodes, narrow bladelike leaves that grow at the base of the plant, a spikelet, and extensively branching fibrous roots . Grasses, whether annual or perennial, are mostly herbaceous (not woody), monocotyledon plants with jointed stems and sheathed leaves. They are usually upright, cylindrical, with alternating leaves, anchored to the soil by roots.