Final answer:
In turfgrasses, three types of stems are rhizomes, stolons, and tubers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The types of stems that occur in turfgrasses include:
- Rhizomes: Horizontal underground stems with nodes and internodes, which give rise to vertical shoots in some plants (e.g., ginger and ferns).
- Stolons: Stems that grow almost parallel to the ground or just below the surface, which can give rise to new plants at the nodes. Runners are a type of stolon that grows above the ground.
- Tubers: Modified stems that store starch, such as potatoes. Tubers develop as swollen ends of stolons and contain adventitious buds, also known as 'eyes'.
Bulbs, which are not a type of stem found in turfgrasses but serve as an underground storage unit, consist of enlarged fleshy leaves surrounding the base of a stem (e.g., in irises and onions).