Description
AUTHOR: Frits van Oudtshoorn
ISBN: 9781920217358
EXTENT: 288 pages
FORMAT: 240 x 170 mm
Soft cover, 1 000 colour photographs, distribution maps
The grass family, known as Poaceae, is probably the most important plant family on earth. Grasses were the first food plants to be cultivated
by man. Grass crops, such as maize, wheat, rice and sugarcane are still our most important food source to farm animals and the large herds of
grazinganimals in the wild.
The identification of grasses becomes important during land management as the various grass species differ in their grazing value and other
ecological functions. Furthermore, weedy grasses react differently
to different herbicides and therefore need to be correctly identified.
This book, Guide to Grasses of southern Africa, is the most comprehensive colour identification guide to the common grasses of southern Africa
and includes, among others, the following features:
- Descriptions and illustrations of the 320 most important grasses in southern Africa
- An easy-to-use grass identification key
- More than 1 000 excellent photographs in full colour
- Thirteen short, fully illustrated introductory chapters with general information on grasses
- Common names of grasses in indigenous languages
- Icons that enable the reader to obtain certain information at a glance
Afgriland –
Grasses make up die most important plant family on earth. As the first plants ever to be cultivated for food, it is still the most important source of nourishment (maize, wheat, rice, sugarcane, etc). Grass also plays a vital role in the ecology in terms of food for animals and protecting the soil from erosion.
In this soft cover, 288 page, full-colour guie to the common grasses of Southern Africa, the author, Frits van Oudtshoorn, has included the following:
• Descriptions and illustrations of the 300 most important grasses in Southern Africa
• An easy-to-use grass identification key
• More than 800 colour photographs
• Distribution maps
• Thirteen short, fully illustrated introductory chapters with general information on grasses, what grass is, grass and grazing, cultivated pasture, etc
• A series of symbols (icons) to enable readers to obtain certain information about a specific grass at a glance, and
• A questionnaire to test your knowledge
Agri –
The identification of grasses becomes important during land management, as the various grass species differ in their grazing value and other ecological functions.
Furthermore, weedy grasses react differently to different herbicides and therefore need to be correctly identified.
This book, Guide to Grasses of southern Africa, is the most comprehensive colour identification guide to the common grasses of southern Africa and includes, among others, the following features:
• Descriptions and illustrations of the 320 most important grasses in southern Africa
• An easy-to-use grass identification key
• More than 1000 excellent photographs in full colour
• Thirteen short, fully illustrated introductory chapters with general information on grasses
• Common names of grasses in indigenous languages
• Icons that enable the reader to obtain certain information at a glance.
SA Garden –
The new buzzword in garden design is grasses – adding indigenous or exotic grasses in groups, as a low-growing border, as accent plants in mixed beds or creating a grassland meadow in your garden. The wonderful thing about grasses is that they come in so many different shapes, colours, sizes and textures – it is easy to choose a grass for your specific need. Even more wonderful is the fact that garden centres stock many varieties of grasses and sedges, and it is an absolute pleasure to go grass shopping these days!
Read the label carefully to see the height and spread of the mature plant, and plant your grasses in full sun. They are drought-tolerant and some are self-seeding. The indigenous grasses will bring many seed-eating birds to your garden, and will also attract insects like bees and butterflies. Grasses look good in summer and autumn, and some will even give a show in winter.
Keep the following design and gardening principles in mind when you choose your grasses:
• Height – plant low-growing, mound-forming grasses like Festuca, Acorus and Imperata along the borders of your flower beds or under standard trees. Plant medium height grasses between plants of the same height, and tall grasses at the back of a mixed bed.
• Spacing – ensure that enough space is available around medium and tallk grasses to allow the wind to move through them; this creates that beautiful grassland movement when the grasses sway in the wind
• Colour – there are many colours available, like silver and blue, variegated silver or variegated yellows, brown, red, light or dark green. You should also find out if the grass will have significant seed plumes, and what colour those will be. Use different colours of grasses together.
SA Garden –
Grasses are probably on of the most important plant families on earth. They were the first food plants to be cultivated by man. Grass crops, such as maize, wheat, rice and sugar cane, are still our most important source of energy. Grass is also an essential food source for farm animals and the enormous herds of grazing animals in the wild. This book is a comprehensive identification guide to the common grasses of Southern Africa that includes descriptions and illustrations of over 320 important grasses. It also features an easy-to-use identification key, over 1000 full colour photographs, common names of grasses in indigenous languages and icons that provide information at a glance.
Pretoria News –
Most people seem not to know how important grasses are to our existence. If it was not for grasses, most of us would not be around at all, as animals and human populations would be far smaller.
When dinosaurs walked the earth, grasses did not exist yet.
We have used and cultivated grasses for nearly 10 000 years.
One may wonder where humans eat grass. Well, the most common include wheat, rice, and maize, which we consume daily.
There are nearly 9700 species worldwide and southern Africa has 967.
Most of our farming stock bred for human consumption rely on grasses for survival.
Our management of farmland and grasslands depends on our existence. Erosion due to overgrazing and bad land management results in loss of top soil and irreversible damage to our country.
Loss of top soil is a major problem in Africa and everyone knows what a ‘donga’ is and what happens to the ground which has been cleared by machines or overgrazed.
For the city slicker, these issues seem far removed from reality, but Van Oudtshoorn’s book is essential study for all farmers and nature conservation students.
Understanding the fundamentals of grass progression is vital to all agricultural practitioners and industries that are likely to disturb the ground through road construction, building or by mining.
The rehabilitation of any disturbed ground is difficult and a bulldozed patch of ground may take more than 100 years to regain its former grass condition.
Once the top layer of soil is removed, the only plants that may thrive are weeds and unpalatable pioneer grasses.
The exposed ground takes many successions of grass species, weeds and forbs before ‘useful’ and palatable grasses can grow again.
The book is an excellent tool to use in identifying and learning more about our grasses. It is comprehensive and, as a reprint of his earlier book of the same name, contains updated information as well as extra common Afrikaans names of grasses used by farmers, making their identification easy.
Every farmer and nature student needs this book and I would recommend it also to civil and mining engineers.