Growth Forms of Grasses

Many grasses produce clones either via buds, rhizomes or stolons. Often, it is hard to define a grass individual as it may actually consist of many ramets. Ecologists distinguish between caespitose, rhizomatous and stoloniferous graminoids. Caespitose or bunch grasses produce ramets within clones in the absence of stolons or rhizomes braking through ramet-surrounding leaves. Many sod-forming grasses as for example a number of turf grasses produce rhizomes or stolons. Tussock grasses are growing in tufted clumps. Examples of grasses growing in tufts and tussocks are presented in this chapter.