II.

The Body Parts of Carabao

Grass
The Following pictures are the
Trichomes of Carabao Grass microscopic stinging trichomes of
Carabao grass.

The Carabao grass has many

Picture 1: The Stinging Trichomes,
trichomes found through out the leaf 10x
margin. The type of its trichome is a
stinging trichome. These trichomes are
also called epidermal hairs.

Trichomes of the Carabao grass

are single outgrowths of the it’s
epidermis and collectively constitute the
pubescence (hairiness) of the Carabao
grass leaf surface. These epidermal
hairs in Carabao grass leaf are
specialized for defense against attack
by insects and mites.

These Carabao Grass Leaf Picture 2: This picture here shows

the base of the Carabao grass
Stinging trichomes may be formed on all Stinging Trichome
parts of the plant as outgrowths from an
epidermal cell. The development of hairs
may involve cell division (as in these
leaf hairs) where the long outgrowth is
unicellular but the base is multicellular.
 The arrangement of the Carabao

grass stomatal apparatus is in parallel

alignment.

The Stomatal Apparatus

Picture 3: The picture here was

The stomatal apparatus of viewed under low power objectives
showing the stomatal apparatus in
carabao grass leaf consist of the guard
focus.
cells and the stoma (pl. stomata). The

guard cell contains chloroplast and

these guard cells are somewhat bean

shaped, as seen in the surface of the

leaf. These occur in pairs and are found

chiefly on the lower epidermis of the

A pair of guard cells
carabao grass leaf. Each pair of guard

cells encloses a small pore called stoma

which is responsible for the gaseous

exchange between the inner tissue of Picture 3: Microscopic view, 40x, of

the paired guard cells and stoma
the carabao grass leaf and the external on the leaf surface of Carabao
grass.
atmosphere.
 • cylinder once cell thick that forms
a boundary between the cortex
and the stele
• even more distinct than dicot
counterpart
• contains the casparian strip,

Vascular Tissue
• Xylem and Phloem
• Forms a ring near center of plant

Pith
• Center most region of root

The Root System

The root of a carabao grass is Picture 4: The Root

found underground. It anchors the plant of Carabao Grass , 10x cs.
in the soil and it absorbs water and
nutrients.
The root of a carabao grass is a
fibrous root and the plant does not
undergo secondary growth.

Root Anatomy – Carabao grass

Epidermis
• Dermal tissue
• Protection of the root

Cortex
• Ground tissue
• Storage of photosynthetic
products
• Active in the uptake of water and
minerals

Endodermis
 Carabao grasses have no periderm. Picture 5: The Stem, 10x cs.
The inside of the Carabao grass has the
outer epidermis that becomes
thickened, suberized. Within the root of
the Carabao grass‘s outer cortex,
parenchyma cells become meristematic
and through periclinal divisions they
produce short radial files (similar to
phellem). These are non-living and
heavily suberized.

The Stem
Picture 6: The Vascular Bundles, 40x

Carabao grass stem differ from

dicot stems in that it lacks secondary

growth

• No vascular cambium nor cork

cambium
Picture 7: The stem, 10 x, cs.
• Stems usually uniform in

diameter

• Scattered vascular bundles (not

in a ring like dicot stems)

•
 better system for supplying nutrients to

leaves. Since the pattern does not

branch the nutrient flow, it is very direct

and fast, straight from the main body of

the plant. Dicots plants do not do this

because the branching allows for the

Picture 8: The Vascular Bundles, 40x
minor veins to reach every cell.

However the carabao grass does this as

well with commissural veins that

connect parallel major veins. In fact, this

system seems better because it is less

random and all cells seem to be more

equal in their nutrient intake.

The Leaf
Picture 9: The Leaf of carabao grass
In Carabao grass leaf; there are

usually a number of major leaf veins

which run parallel the length of the leaf.

The parallel venation of carabao

grass leaves looks less appealing but if

you think about its structure it seems

Picture 10: The Midrib of Carabao
Grass Leaf, 4 x
like it would provide the plant with a
 Inflorescence

The carabao grass flower has an

inflorescence of Spike which means that

the flowers are unbranched, elongated

main axis and whose flowers have no

Picture 11: The Midrib, 10 x
pedicels
Upper epidermis
Mesophyll

Fruit, embryo and seedling

The Carabao grass fruit is so small

Lower epidermis and is compressed dorsiventrally.

The Flower and Seed

Picture 13: The Seed of carabao

grass viewed under dissecting
Picture 12: Flower of Carabao Grass microscope.
 Commercial seeds of Carabao grass

are not usually available here in the

Philippines because most of the people

propagate the plant vegetatively. This is

because the Carabao grass spreads more

quickly vegetatively and more slowly by

seeds. Carabao grass is a less prolific seed

producer.

But if the seeds are available, it

could be broadcast onto well-prepared seed

bed to give the chance for the seeds to

germinate.