Sejarah Poaceae (Volume 2)

The Story of Grasses – Grasslands and Grassy Open Ecosystems

  • Are bamboos trees, and are bamboo forests a type of grassland and not “forests”?

    Are bamboos trees, and are bamboo forests a type of grassland and not “forests”?

    Conclusion: Bamboos are not trees, and bamboo “forests” are not forests, but are a type of grassland. Globally, there are about 30 million ha of land that are marked as “bamboo forests” (Hu et al, 2018). This does not seem to include large areas where bamboo species are strongly dominant below taller woody trees as…

  • Temperate Bamboo’s War on Forest Trees

    Temperate Bamboo’s War on Forest Trees

    In a previous post we found out how Guadua tropical bamboos carve out their territories and spread against trees by physically damaging them using heavy water-filled culms. These tropical bamboos have pachymorph (or sympodial) rhizomes that are relatively short, and thus are so-called “clumping” types that only expand slowly. But in temperate areas, researchers found…

  • Hiding in Plain Sight: Natives at Wekiwa Springs State Park

    Hiding in Plain Sight: Natives at Wekiwa Springs State Park

    We did a long 12 km hike around Wekiwa Springs State Park last weekend, and I managed to observe some interesting native grasses in their early spring season gear. Wekiwa Springs State Park lies north of Orlando, and is visited by many who would like to bathe in the crystal clear waters of the natural…

  • Why Alligator Encounters are a Botanizing Hazard in Gatorland

    Why Alligator Encounters are a Botanizing Hazard in Gatorland

    The type of botanizing I do is typically easy and safe, and even one that could be termed almost synonymous with a leisurely stroll. At worst, I might collapse of heat stroke, or encounter a fairly annoyed snake or other venomous critter, or be struck by passing cars. But when I was taking photos of…

  • Spring up at Lake Kissimmee State Park

    Spring up at Lake Kissimmee State Park

    We did a quick day hike at Lake Kissimmee State Park yesterday. It’s about an hour or so away from Orlando, and the first thing I noticed during the hike along one of the trails is the fact that many of the vegetation bore marks of fire. The lower parts of the pine were blackish,…

  • Another fire ant fiasco: Trying to eradicate or control widespread grass invasives

    Another fire ant fiasco: Trying to eradicate or control widespread grass invasives

    In the 1960s, and extending into the 1980s, large-scale government efforts to eradicate fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) in the United States of America failed miserably. This was in my thoughts as I read a fascinating and well-researched piece about efforts by the government to contain an invasive grass called Arundo donax in Texas, because even…