spikeletbased

Spikelet-based is a term used in botany and plant sciences to describe approaches in which the spikelet—the basic unit of a grass inflorescence—is the primary unit of observation, analysis, or classification. A spikelet typically consists of one or more florets enclosed by protective bracts called glumes, with additional structures such as lemmas and paleae. In a spikelet-based framework, data collection and character matrices focus on spikelet morphology, arrangement, and reproductive features rather than broader plant traits or entire inflorescences. This paradigm is common in grasses (family Poaceae) and related groups, where spikelets are often taxonomically informative.

Applications include taxonomic revision, identification keys, and morphometrics in grass systematics, as well as seed biology and agronomy where spikelet traits correlate with yield components or seed dispersal. Modern spikelet-based methods also appear in digital phenotyping and machine learning workflows that classify grasses from image data by analyzing spikelet features such as size, glume shape, and lemma–palea coloration.

Advantages of spikelet-based approaches include standardized sampling units across species and the ability to capture taxonomically informative variation; however, reliance on spikelets can be limiting when spikelet morphology is highly uniform within a group or highly variable due to environment, development, or heterostyly. The term is often used descriptively rather than as a formal taxonomic rank.

See also: spikelet, spike, inflorescence, Poaceae, plant morphology.