In a grass, a ligule is an appendage on the inner side of the junction between the leaf blade and the sheath that surrounds the plant stem. It may be a thin flap, a fringe of hairs, or absent. Its form is useful for identifying grasses: two plants with similar narrow leaves can have conspicuously different ligules.[ref]
To find it, follow a leaf blade toward the plant stem and gently pull the blade away at its base. Inspect the upper, inward-facing junction rather than the entire sheath. This locates a small but repeatable feature, turning an unfamiliar name into an observable anatomical character. Ligule also has a distinct floral use for the strap-shaped part of a ray floret; context determines which structure is meant.
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