Thursday 9 October 2014

Romantic Grass of the Week Quiz 2

Bulboschoenus Fluvialis or Schoeneplectus Validus of Juncus Usitatus

This for some reason is hard for me..i can get a bit generic with the term 'rush' and there are many different types that hold onto their flowers for ages and i get confused coz the flowers are all brown..



There is also not such a great resource for sedges as there is for grasses.. my thanks go to Ausgrass, please support them.. the USA seem to be really into sedges/rushes, but I am trying to get the aussie habitats for these..

Identifiers:
1) Tufting - a tufted rush is a Juncus Usitatus, also if its a mature plant under 1 m it is also a Juncus.
2) Flower - the flower of the Juncus is actually white and beautiful but goes brown quickly.. if u found a nice white flower on a reed its a Juncus.. There is a Juncus Acutus (which is a weed and it will spike you) and a Juncus Kraussi which you will find in more salty waters

3) The Juncus is the common one, so remember to go from there, but they all share the same habitat around waterways in Australia.
4) Leaf/Blades/Stems - the Bulboschoenus is the only one with leaf blades common around the flower, sometimes you will find one on a Schoeneplectus. The diameter of stems of Bulb. and Schoen are from half a cm but the Juncus stem diameter only gets as large as .3 of a cm.
5) the Bubloschenus flowers are in clusters but the actual flower of the Schoeneplectus is an umbel (both create the visual of width) both have branches 8-10cm long.
6) all these rushes have edible roots the bulboschoenus is definitely the most edible for its white roots taste like coconut milk and is medicinal as an anti-contraceptive. 


Saturday 4 October 2014

Romantic Grass of the Week Quiz 1

Here are some quizzes to revise your knowledge from Romantic Grass of the Week.. oh and fun fact: the giant of the english language - the english noun with the most nominals is .... 'grass'

Identify the below images. Each is a different species. Which is Microlaena Stipoides or Anisopogon Avenaceous or Austrostipa Pubescens?

Identyifying Tips:
Distribution: Microlaena is the most common also the only one in Western Australia and Adelaide. Anisopogon is found only in Blue Mountains and coastal Northern Victoria.
Inflourescence: All have compound panicles. Microlaena has the shortest 7cm - 19cm, and also sometimes appears in raceme as well as panicle. The others are 17cm-30cm. Microlaena's spikelet is also different with 3-4 florets, the others' spikelets just have 1 floret.
Stems/Blades: The Austrostipa does not grow downwards till the mid-culm internode, but the flowers get so heavy the stem bends anyway, the others can grow erect or descending from the base stem. all have flat and involute leaf blades (rolled inward at the edges).. the microlaena also has convulute (rolled inward at the stem). Microlaena is smooth, Austrostipa is hairy, Anisopogon is smooth or scabby.

Answers
1) Austrostipa Pubescens 2) Microlaena Stipoides 3) Anisopogon Avenaceus