Leaf shape and anatomy as indicators of phase change in the grasses: comparison of maize, rice, and bluegrass

Leaf morphology and anatomy during vegetative phase change was compared in bluegrass, rice, and maize. Maize juvenile leaves are coated with epicuticular wax, lack specialized cells, such as trichomes and bulliform cells, and epidermal cell walls stain a uniform purple color. Adult maize leaves are pubescent, lack epicuticular waxes, and have crenulated epidermal cell walls that stain purple and blue. All bluegrass and rice blades are pubescent, coated with epicuticular waxes, and show purple and blue wall staining. In all three grasses, blade width steadily increases at each node until a threshold size is achieved several nodes before reproductive competence is acquired. Blade-to-sheath length showed a similar trend of continuous change followed by discontinuous change prior to reproduction. Analysis of leaf development demonstrated that maize primordia initiate more rapidly relative to blade and sheath growth than do either bluegrass or rice. We conclude that leaf shape, as defined by blade width and blade-to-sheath ratio, is a reliable indicator of phase, whereas anatomy is not a universal indicator of phase change in the grasses. We speculate that different growth patterns among these grasses may be attributed to changes in the timing of embryonic and postembryonic development.