A ligule (from "strap", variant of ''lingula'', from ''lingua'' "tongue") is a thin outgrowth at the junction of

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ...

and leafstalk of many grasses (Poaceae) and sedges. A ligule is also a strap-shaped extension of the

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name *Corolla (headgear) A ''corolla'' is an ancient headdress in the form of a small circlet or crown.ray floret in plants in the daisy family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...

Poaceae and Cyperaceae

The ligule is part of the leaf that is found at the junction of the blade and sheath of the leaf. It may take several forms, but it is commonly some form of translucent membrane or a fringe of hairs. The membranous ligule can be very short 1–2 mm ( Kentucky bluegrass, ''Poa pratensis'') to very long 10–20 mm ( Johnson grass, ''Sorghum halepense''), it can also be smooth on the edge or very ragged. Some grasses do not have a ligule, for example barnyardgrass ('' Echinochloa crus-galli''). A ligule can also be defined as a membrane-like tissue or row of delicate hairs typically found in grasses at the junction of the leaf sheath and blade. The ligule appears to be a continuation of the leaf sheath and encircles or clasps the stem as does the leaf sheath. The three basic types of ligules are: membranous, a fringe of hairs (ciliate), and absent or lacking. Most grasses have ligules, and the shape, length, and appearance of the ligule margin provide consistent characters for separating genera and some species of grasses. Ray-floret

In grass-like plants such as sedges (

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus '' Carex'' ...

) and rushes ( Juncaceae), ligules are usually absent or poorly developed.

Asteraceae

In members of

, a ligule is the elongated tongue of the

Clubmosses

The microphylls of Lycopodiophyta of the families Selaginellaceae (spikemosses or lesser clubmosses) and Isoetaceae (quillworts) have minute, scale-like flaps of tissue called ligules at the base of the upper surface of each leaf blade. This feature distinguishes them from clubmosses of the family Lycopodiaceae.

References

{{reflist Plant morphology