1. A membranous scalelike outgrowth from the leaves of certain flowering plants. Many grasses have a ligule at the base of the leaf blade.
2. A small membranous structure that develops on the upper surface of a young leaf base in certain clubmosses, for example Selaginella. It withers as the plant matures.
3. A strap-shaped extension from the corolla tube in certain florets of a capitulum. They are termed ligulate (or ray) florets.