Right now there could be a plant growing in the tropical rain forest that could cure cancer, thus the importance of saving the rain forest but if this same plant escaped to Texas and grew so aggressively that it displaced thousands of native Texas species, it should be eradicated at all costs.
"Gloria C. Baikauskas"
Charles B. Heiser. Chapter one starts with this quote by Ralph Waldo
Emerson: What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been
discovered.
In 1879 the book says that Asa Gray, consided the father of botany,
said that "even the most useful plants may become weeds if they
appear outof their proper place. Willis S. Blatchley in the Indiana
Weed Book of 1912 said that a weed is a plant out of place.
Random House Dictionary defines weed as: 1. a valueless plant
growing wild, esp. one that grows on cultivated ground to the
exclusion or injury of the desired crop. 2. any useless,
troublesome, or obnoxious plant, esp. one that grows profusely.
This was to be the subject of a new Garden Talk when I finished
reading the book and did some more research. It may still be. I
will tell you something interesting that I did discover and that is
that most botanists agree that weeds grow mostly on disturbed
land....IOW...land that man has tilled in some manner.
Where the land has not been disturbed native plants grow....though
some feel those native plants are also weeds. It appears from what
is written on this group that what a weed is is simply a plant they
don't want growing where it is no matter how it got there.
Remember the lesson sadly learned that a plant that might have saved
the world was eradicated as undesirable. We too often make mistakes
without researching whether the plant has some attributes that may
help us one day.....and sometimes science is not far enough along at
that moment to decide that.
Gloria, Texas
US zone 8a
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And this is the way I garden. I don't grow food due to my lack of sun in the right place but my gardens may be aesthetically pleasing to the eye but I planted them to provide for all of Gods creatures.
wayi
perceived use for man {at this time }, doesn't mean it's useless. All plants
have a place in nature and it doesn't have to be there for man's use. All of
nature isn't here just to please man.
Wayi
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My own personal thoughts on this is that just because a plant has no
perceived use for man {at this time }, doesn't mean it's useless. All plants
have a place in nature and it doesn't have to be there for man's use. All of
nature isn't here just to please man.
Wayi
In 1879 the book says that Asa Gray, consided the father of botany,
said that "even the most useful plants may become weeds if they
appear outof their proper place. Willis S. Blatchley in the Indiana
Weed Book of 1912 said that a weed is a plant out of place.=20
Random House Dictionary defines weed as: 1. a valueless plant
growing wild, esp. one that grows on cultivated ground to the
exclusion or injury of the desired crop. 2. any useless,
troublesome, or obnoxious plant, esp. one that grows profusely.
This was to be the subject of a new Garden Talk when I finished
reading the book and did some more research. It may still be. I
will tell you something interesting that I did discover and that is
that most botanists agree that weeds grow mostly on disturbed
land....IOW...land that man has tilled in some manner.=20
Where the land has not been disturbed native plants grow....though
some feel those native plants are also weeds. It appears from what
is written on this group that what a weed is is simply a plant they
don't want growing where it is no matter how it got there.
Remember the lesson sadly learned that a plant that might have saved
the world was eradicated as undesirable. We too often make mistakes
without researching whether the plant has some attributes that may
help us one day.....and sometimes science is not far enough along at
that moment to decide that.=20
Gloria, Texas
US zone 8a
i'm not denying that Kudzu may have merit but how bout the the hundred of species that are displaced by Kudzu, is it possible they to have merit.
Donna
this extremely aggressive plant.
-Donna S.
> ...but if this same plant escaped to Texas and grew so aggressively
that it displaced thousands of native Texas species, it should be
eradicated at all costs.
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Kudzu comes to mind...in spite of all the wonderful products made from
this extremely aggressive plant.
-Donna S.
> ...but if this same plant escaped to Texas and grew so aggressively
that it displaced thousands of native Texas species, it should be
eradicated at all costs.
Actually its closer to thousands of species displaced
with some just lost to us forever. Don't forget all
the animal life whose food and homes were lost.
Japan has plenty of Kudzu for any medical needs we
have. In Japan where Kudzu is native, it isn't a
problem, in fact it fits in fine and is part of their
ecology.
It belongs there!
It wasn't until man put it where it didn't belong that
it became a pest.
I don't want to see the elimination of any plant or
animal. I feel it my job to protect all of them, In
their native homes.
Yes nature has mixed species several times in the
past. IE when South & North America continents bumped.
After a extremely long time life has pretty much
settled down. Except for the thousands of the plants &
animal that were lost for ever. Out of all the
marsupials in south America before the bump, we only
have the possum left. As to how many species were
lost, we are still counting.
John Bridges
North Central Texas
--- frank lawrence
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