Red grass (Themeda triandra)
This perennial grass can vary in heights between 0.3 and 1.5 metres and is found all across the southern Africa. It can virtually grow in any type of soil but prefers a soil that contains a high organic concentration and can even grow in clay. It’s very tolerant to fire and can easily regrow unless it is influenced by grazing animals. This grass can be used for many things including thatching, basketry, paper pulp and it gives a good indication of the condition of an environment. It commonly used as a landscaping plant but can also be used as ornamental plants.
Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum)
The elephant grass is a perennial species that is generally native to Africa. It requires very little water and nutrients and can easily be harvested up to 6 times a year. Elephant grass can grow up to heights of approximately 4 meters and has leaves with a pale-green color can vary in width. The flowers of this plant can range from purple to yellow and can reach lengths of up to 30 centimeters. It has a very unique root system that penetrates deep into the ground allowing it to survive harsh dry conditions and seeds are normally dispersed through water and wind but can also be dispersed by attaching to things like vehicles, clothing and fur.
Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon)
This perennial grass is not a threatened species and can be seen all over the southern Africa. It is an excellent invader and is mostly used as a food source for livestock or grazing animals. Generally the seeds are wind pollinated but through the grazing of animals such as the impala, the white rhino and other herbivorous animals, it is rapidly dispersed and can easy establish a new area.
Fire can control the growth of this grass, ...
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Red and green kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos manglesii)
The red and green kangaroo paw belongs to the genus Anifozanthos and is a perennial species. It consists of a red stalk which can reached heights up to 1 meter. It has leaves which are greyish-green that are long and can reach lengths up to 60 centimetres. It produces green and red flowers that are commonly and easily pollinated by birds with the help of the flower shape and the position of the flowers anthers. This species is extremely vulnerable to a fungal disease known to create small spots on the plant that look like ink dots and they are also constantly preyed upon by species such as slugs and snails. They have long lasting assets and are commonly cultivated for cut flowers and grow very well in soils that drain easily or soils that contain good concentrations of organic substances.
In Sara Gruen’s novel Water for Elephants, the theme of love being a driving force in the characters’ decision making is displayed through the use of characterization and conflict throughout the novel. Jacob’s love for Marlena causes him to make unexpected and often foolish decisions. When Jacob suddenly kissed Marlena, her reaction caused him to realize “‘[he] shouldn’t have done that,’” (Gruen, 2006, p. 153). Jacob was unable to conceal his love for Marlena, which, in turn, caused him to suddenly kiss her. Jacob’s character is extremely love driven, which is demonstrated by his romantic outbursts. Without thinking of the results, Jacob decided to keep Rosie because of his love for her. When Jacob told Marlena they were keeping Rosie, his reasoning was “‘I love that bull.
Mother Nature has provided her tools since the beginning of time. One particular herb I want to discuss with you is Torilis Nodosa, also known as Knotted Hedge Parsley. Knotted Hedge Parsley is a plant that branches out at the base, low and spreading. They have five small white flowers, each that are in compact, compound umbels that come from the leaf axes. It is native to parts of Europe, especially the Mediterranean Basin and it is known elsewhere, such as North America, as an introduced species and a common weed. They spread out in all areas of the world, including residential lawns that grow in the Spring and Summer, which is May through August. They will also grow all year in colder climates.
Rabbit tobacco is also known as lasting, everlasting, sweet balsam, white balsam, feather-weed, and sweet cudweed. Its scientific name is Gaphalium obtusifolium. These annual herbs reach a height of 1 to 3 feet and have erect stems with brown, shriveled leaves persisting into winter and stems covered with felt-like hairs in summer. The leaves are 1 to 3 inches long, and alternate. The flowers, minute in whitish heads, appear in late summer to fall. Fields, pastures, and disturbed areas are the sites of this common native plant of the eastern United States. The Cherokee named it rabbit tobacco because they believe it was the rabbit who took attended the plant.
It can be an unwelcome invader in lawns as well as cultivated fields. The leaves are typically hairy at the base. Seed heads resemble a bristly foxtail and change from green to yellow upon reaching maturity.
The Salt Marshes contain different types of grasses that grow out of the water and along the water's edge. This grass can be seen when the tide is low and is covered by water when the tide comes in. This grass helps hold the soil together by dispersing any wave energy and creating a breeding ground for many important marine animals. Also, the plants act as a natural filter, removing any chemicals that might be in the seawater. Some of the plants that are found in salt marshes are: Salt Marsh Grass or Spartina Alterniflora and Cord grass as well as reeds, sedges and golden rod.
Africa has a regular coastline characterized by few indentations. Because of the smooth coastline, natural harbors were non-existent. Today, however, there are important coastal cities, such as Lagos and Dakar. With the exception of the Mediterranean coast, most of the coastline is low-lying , generally narrow and rising sharply to high elevations. The African climate and topography varies greatly. Although temperatures are usually high, due to being so close to the equator, rainfall, soil quality and elevations are of various degrees. Because most of the African continent has not been covered by water for millions of years, soils have developed according to their weathering e...
A theme in W.P. Kinsella’s “The Thrill of the Grass” is change, for better or for worse, affords the opportunity for us to acknowledge our emotions and love of memories and encourages us to stand up for what we truly believe in. Change, sentiment, reminiscence and defiance are portrayed through the protagonist and the plot in this admiringly, well written short story.
The opium poppy has been used as a medicinal plant for centuries all over the world. The opium poppy plant belongs to the Papaveraceae family. The scientific name of the opium poppy is Papaver somniferum L., and it is native to Turkey. The plant has lobed leaves, milky sap and four to six petaled flowers with several stamens surrounding the ovary. The two sepals drop off when the petals unfold. The ovary then develops into a short, many seeded capsule that opens in dry weather. The small seeds of the opium poppy plant are dispersed by wind. The plant has five inch purple or white flowers on plants three to sixteen feet tall. It is and annual plant which needs to be planted only once for several years of harvest. There are many varieties of poppy plants grown other then the opium poppy, mostly for seasonings, oil, birdseed and attractive flowers.
The common name is the African Elephant, the scientific name is Loxodonta Africana, the phylum is Vertebrata, the class is Mammalia, the order is Proboscidea, and the family is Elephantidae. The Closest Relatives to the African Elephant are: the Asian Elephant, mammoths, primitive proboscidean (mastodons), sea cows, and hyraxes. Scientists believe that the African Elephant evolved from one of its closest relatives, the Sea Cow. The geographical location and range of the African elephant covers all of central and southern Africa. In Ethiopia there are isolated populations that exist around Lake Chad in Mali and Mauritania. Also in Kenya, Rhodesia, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Zaire, and in National parks located in South Africa, as well as several other countries. African Elephants, originally, were found in all of the Sub-Saharan African habitats except desert steppes. Elephants still occupy diverse habitats such as: temperate grassland, tropical savanna and grass lands, temperate forest and rainforest, tropical rainforest, tropical scrub forest, and tropical deciduous forest despite their drastic decline in numbers. However, their migratory patterns and habitat use have changed, due to the fact that they are restricted to protected areas. The elephant can exist in many types of environments but it prefers places that have many trees and bushes, which the elephant needs both for food and shade. They also like warm areas that have plenty of rainfall.
Now is a critical time to address the issue of deforestation. Around the world forests are logged for timber and paper pulp. South America contains a large amount of mahogany and rosewood—highly coveted types of wood—within the Amazon basin. Forests are also cleared to make room for the planting of cash crops, such as coffee and soy, as well as livestock farms. After only a few years, overuse of these lands for crops typically causes soil erosion that quickly turns deforested regions into wastelands. Deforestation is responsible for 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all emissions all motorized transportation added together. The destruction of forests does not just threaten our climate; it threatens the livelihoods of billions of people that rely on forests for food and economic activities. The modern world relies on rainforests more than for the well-known reason. People receive many of their fruits and medicines from plant species that survive solely within the heart of a rainforest. Let’s not forget that forests also serve as habitats to wildlife a...
Cotton is an annual, biennial or perennial plant, but in cultivation it is generally treated as an annual; herbaceous to short shrub or small tree - two to six feet tall. It consist of a primary axis, erect and branched with a vegetative lower zone having monopodial branches, and a fruiting upper zone with sympodial branches. The leaves of the cotton plant alternate, cordate petiolate, three to nine lobed and palmately veined, with varying size, texture, shape and hairiness. The large, showy, cream yellow, red or purple flowers are extra axillary, terminal, solitary, and borne on sympodial branches. The calyx (= collectively the sepals) consists of a very short cup-shaped structure at the base of the corolla. The five petals of the corolla are either free or slightly united at the base of the convoluted bud (Sundararaj, 1974).
World Commission on Protected Areas (1995-2006) WCPA West and Central Africa Region Key Issues The World Conservation Union
The diagram below shows that grass doesn’t have a steady growth curve throughout the year, there’s a peak in May with surplus grass. The grazing method chosen helps to make the most efficient use of grass at all times of the grazing cycle.
Deforestation is a current problem in this world, and it’s happening every day, more and more. Deforestation is the clearing of the world’s forests on a massive scale. Every year, the amount of forest we lose is equivalent about the size of Panama. It is everywhere, look at where we attend college. Once upon a time, Eckerd College was all forested area. Every time we build something here on campus, more and more trees get knocked down.
For many years climate change has become a crucial issue around the globe. The environment has considerably deteriorated by the change of climate: seasons are shifting, the earth 's climate is changing, sea levels are rising and ice is melting. Global warming and the greenhouse effect is a topic that is becoming more and more concerning and a lot of research is done in order to examine what the issues are and how these affect the economy (Stern, 2006; CCRA, 2012) but also business industry and politics (Hanley & Owen, 2004). This phenomenon is a result of approximately 100 years of carbon-dioxide emission (amongst other greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere (Stern, 2006). It is a serious phenomenon affecting the environment and living organisms.