All plants have these four organs Roots Stems Leaves Reproductive Structures

Major Groups of Plants Mosses Ferns and Allies Gymnosperms Angiosperms Monocots Dicots

The two major classes of flowering plants Monocots Dicots

Forage Classification GRASSES Perennials Cool Season Warm Season Annuals LEGUMES Perennials Cool Season Warm Season Annuals FORAGE: Edible parts of plants, other than separated grain, that can provide feed for grazing animals, or that can be harvested for feeding. Includes browse, herbage, and mast. Perennial – come back more than once Annual – grows and dies in one season

Plant Vocabulary Grass: monocots (one seed leaf) herbaceous plant parallel leaf veins fibrous root system Legume: dicots (two seed leaves) “netted” leaf veins usually have a taproot produce seed in a pod nitrogen fixation Legumes may contain a bacteria rhizobium with whom they interact to fix Nitrogen leading to a higher N content of the plant. Crude Protein measures of feeds are simply a measure of N content, therefore, legumes have higher CP content than grasses. Increases growth and decreases fertilization needed. Draw different leaf examples.

Grass or Legume? Left – Kentucky Bluegrass Right – Alfalfa Leave (serrated edges) http://aggie-turf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/grasswee/grasses/kblue.htm http://forages.oregonstate.edu/media_library/alfalfa/screen/39.jpg

Plant Vocabulary Annual: A plant that germinates, grows, reproduces, and dies in one growing season Perennial: A plant that has the ability to live for more than one year Biennials – weak perennials that usually die after the second growing season Annuals reproduce ONLY by seed Perennials reproduce either by seed or vegetatively (i.e., send up new plants from existing root structure) - may appear to die back, but can recover

Plant Vocabulary Warm Season Plants: plants that begin growth and/or are planted in the spring or early summer and do most of their growth during the warmest part of the year Cool Season Plants: plants that begin growth and/or are planted in the fall or early spring and do most of their growth during the coolest months of the year (except during winter) Warm season plants – Most plants native to Maryland Cool season plants – dormant in the winter

Common Characteristics of Some Pasture Species LEGUMES

Legumes Dicot plants Legume roots host Rhizobium bacteria Two seed-bearing leaves Legume roots host Rhizobium bacteria Often have taproots Trifoliate leaves Shape of leaflets Texture (hairy, shiny, etc.) Dicot = two seed-bearing leaves Taproot (i.e. carrot-like) taproots of alfalfa plants have been known to penetrate 20 feet White clover has a shallow root system Trifoliate = three leaflets that make up one leaf Leaf shape can identify the plant

Legume Plant Parts

Seed dormancy Seeds can remain dormant in the soil for long periods of time. Dormancy helps ensure that seeds only germinate when conditions are right. When we weed or cultivate a bare patch of soil, the weeds that sprout up immediately usually come from the “seed bank” already in the soil.

Breaking dormancy Seeds require moisture and the right temperature to germinate. In addition, some seeds germinate only after certain environmental signals: Drying Temperature (period of cold or heat) Disruption of the seed coat

Germination: monocot

Germination: dicot

Tap root and Fibrous (Diffuse) Root Systems – Both arise from radicle