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For some reason a Google search for Hawaiian grass identification sometimes leads to this older page on the subject. The maintained, A Key to the Grasses, Sedges, & Rushes of the Hawaiian Islands, can be reached directly by clicking on the Return to INTRODUCTION link above, right. However, links below are maintained and connect to relevant pages in the web document, A Key to the Grasses, Sedges, & Rushes of the Hawaiian Islands.
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A DICHOTOMOUS KEY
TO THE GRASSES, SEDGES, AND RUSHES
OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
With Links to A Key to Aquatic Plants in Hawai‘i
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[NOTE: THREE CHOICES HERE]
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1a
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Plant generally grass-like: herbaceous, with leaves linear, very many times longer than wide, leaf veins parallel; if blades not exactly linear, veins are still parallel; OR plant a green stem without obvious leaf-like structures, or these small and sessile (leaf lacking a petiole or leaf-stem), clasping the stem. Flower heads may be conspicuous, but individual flowers are small and usually mature to some shade of brown or yellow (usually green when immature).
~ Class LILIOPSIDA (MONOCOTS, in part)
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[2]
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1b
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Plant somewhat "grass-like" with tall, woody, hollow (jointed) stems or culms; leaves not clasping but attached to side branches by pseudo-petioles. Rarely producing flowers in Hawai‘i. Bamboos
~ Class LILIOPSIDA, Family POACEAE, Subfamily Bambusoideae
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[24] 
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1c
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Plant not grass-like: may be herbaceous or may be woody, but leaves at most only 5 or 6 times longer than broad; leaf veins arising from a central axis or radiating from a central point. Flowers variable, but many species with conspicuously colored or otherwise showy petals. Other aquatic monocots
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[107]
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~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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2a
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(1) |
Plant mostly a soft, green, vertical stem (called a culm), without leaves, or leaves present only as basal sheaths without blades, or blades inconspicuous. Flower head or heads at or near tip of stem, in some cases, with a conspicuous bract subtending (found directly below) the flower head. Certain rushes
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[10]
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2b
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Stem, if soft, green, and upright, then clasped by one or more long, narrow leaves or with a basal rosette of narrow leaves; OR stem otherwise (creeping, branching)
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[3]
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~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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3a
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(2)
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Leaves in two ranks (distichous: looking down on the culm, leaves come off on two sides). Stems usually hollow except at nodes. Clasping part of leaf below blade open along a vertical seam
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[4]
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3b
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Leaves in three ranks: looking down on the culm, leaves come off on three sides; sheathing part of leaf closed. Stem usually solid, usually trigonous (three-sided), but exceptions exist. Sedges
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[15]
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~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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4a
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(3)
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 Flowers arranged in a dense(and solitary) spike (1.5 - 3 cm diameter) arising above flattened, spongy, pale green leaves, lacking a midrib. Cattails
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[98]
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4b
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Flowers arranged in various ways, usually in several to many spikelets. Leaves linear, pale to dark green, but not fleshy or spongy, most often with a midrib that is prominent on upper or lower leaf surface. Grasses
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[11]
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