Dave Gardner, Ph.D., associate professor of horticulture and crop science at Ohio State University, has produced a turfgrass identification worksheet for professional turf managers.
The worksheet, which is available in a downloadable PDF format, separates turf types by growth habit, ligule type, auricle type, vernation, leaf tip, sheath type and collar type, with photographs of each trait.
Growth type: rhizomonous, stoloniforous, bunch type.
Ligule type: membranous, fringe of hairs, absent.
Auricle type: long/clawlike, short/stubby, absent.
Vernation: folded, rolled.
Leaf tip: boat shaped, pointed.
Sheath type: split-overlapped, fused tube.
Collar type: continuous, divided, constricted with twist.
The worksheet also includes a check list of 17 common turfgrass varieties and the identification characteristics of each for easy cross-reference.