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How to identify herbaceous bamboos from non-bamboo grasses
In a previous post I talked about botanizing for the herbaceous bamboo Lithachne pauciflora in Montego Bay, Jamaica. This bamboo is quite small, and looks very much like any shade loving grass, with its wide leaves and short stature. Because of this, one of the readers asked how to identify the species and differentiate it…
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In Search of a Herbaceous Bamboo in Jamaica
Botanizing during a cruise is always fraught with certain limitations. Stops at locations generally are short, with most lasting only around 8 hours, and transportation is sometimes expensive or not available. Unfamiliarity with the location and allowances for personal safety also tend to be factors. In addition, you have to balance the needs of the…
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The State of some Florida Grasses after a Severely Cold Arctic Blast
An arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to Central Florida the last couple weeks. For three consecutive nights, temperatures dropped below freezing. In the aftermath of these disastrous weather events, whole swathes of herbaceous ornamentals, trees, and shrubs were left seemingly dead, their leaves turned a crinkly brown. Even the succulents were affected, with the big…
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The Spread of Rust (A Slight Detour into the Foundational Language Wars)
I’ve been busy the last week or two learning a new computer language. At first glance, this might seem to have nothing at all to do with the natural world, and specifically with the Poaceae. But first some background. In addition to being a biologist and a scholar of the grasses, I am a software…
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Laobambos calcareus: The Discovery of the World’s First Succulent Bamboo!
Succulence in botany refer to the ability of a plant to store water by varying the size of various organs. Although the Poaceae can exist in varying environments, including the driest seasonal environs, there has been a notable lack of succulence in the list of 12,000 plus members of the family. The one notable exception…
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Surprising Filipino Lawns: Axonopus compressus in the Philippines
One of the interesting things I found out when visiting the Philippines was the heavy use of Axonopus compressus as turf grass. Although this stoloniferous species (it uses above ground shoots to spread laterally) is also used in the United States, and especially in Florida, I don’t believe I’ve actually ever encountered it there, where…
Sejarah Poaceae
The Story of Grasses – Grasslands and Grassy Open Ecosystems