scholarly journals Performance of 67 Native Midwestern U.S. Perennials in a Low-maintenance Landscape

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew L. Thomas ◽  
Denny Schrock

Hundreds of perennial plant species native to the midwestern United States have potential as ornamentals, but information on how best to use such plants in the landscape remains scarce. Many horticulturists are looking for species that perform well under low-maintenance conditions and that also attract and benefit desirable fauna, such as butterflies and birds. While many of our native plants may fit into this category, not all such species will meet aesthetic criteria for home landscapes. Some native species respond to seasonal changes in temperature and rainfall by browning or going dormant. Others have very specific site requirements for moisture, soil, and humidity that may be difficult to meet in an urban landscape, or their size, growth habit, or other characteristics may make them aesthetically undesirable in the typical home landscape. This study evaluated the performance of 67 plant taxa native to the midwestern United States selected for their promising potential in a low-maintenance landscape situation.

2017 ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Rafael Lira ◽  
Alejandro Casas

Information on use and management of wild species of Cucurbitaceae is presented, in order to analyze processes of incipient plant domestication. Ibervillea millspaughii is a perennial plant species with massive roots, distributed from Tamaulipas to Belize. Roots of this species are utilized as medicine in the treatment of arthritis, inflammations and muscular pain. Roots are commonly collected from individuals in wild populations, but, in some villages of Quinatana Roo people tolerate and enhance individuals of this plant species in anthropogenic areas; also, people cultivate this plant species in home gardens. Melothria pendula is distributed from the United States to Argentina. Fruits and young stems and leaves of this species are consumed as food and used in traditional medicine. These products are generally gathered from wild or weedy populations, but in La Montaña de Guerrero region, the tolerance of this species and the intentional dispersion of its seeds in anthropogenic areas are also common, in order to increase its availability. Use and propagation of this plant species may involve selection by people who distinguish between "bitter" and "sweet" variants, preferring the "sweet" ones. Sicyos parviflorus, Cyclanthera dissecta, C. langaei and C. ribiflora are consumed as greens by people in different regions of Mexico, who gather them from wild or weedy populations, although individual plants of these species are also tolerated in anthropogenic areas. The different forms of management identified in the species mentioned are possibly causing processes of domestication, but such processes are yet to be evaluated.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260390
Author(s):  
Kowiyou Yessoufou ◽  
Annie Estelle Ambani ◽  
Hosam O. Elansary ◽  
Orou G. Gaoue

Understanding why alien plant species are incorporated into the medicinal flora in several local communities is central to invasion biology and ethnobiology. Theories suggest that alien plants are incorporated in local pharmacopoeias because they are more versatile or contribute unique secondary chemistry which make them less therapeutically redundant, or simply because they are locally more abundant than native species. However, a lack of a comprehensive test of these hypotheses limits our understanding of the dynamics of plants knowledge, use and potential implications for invasion. Here, we tested the predictions of several of these hypotheses using a unique dataset on the woody medicinal flora of southern Africa. We found that the size of a plant family predicts the number of medicinal plants in that family, a support for the non-random hypothesis of medicinal plant selection. However, we found no support for the diversification hypothesis: i) both alien and native plants were used in the treatment of similar diseases; ii) significantly more native species than alien contribute to disease treatments particularly of parasitic infections and obstetric-gynecological diseases, and iii) alien and native species share similar therapeutic redundancy. However, we found support for the versatility hypothesis, i.e., alien plants were more versatile than natives. These findings imply that, although alien plant species are not therapeutically unique, they do provide more uses than native plants (versatility), thus suggesting that they may not have been introduced primarily for therapeutic reasons. We call for similar studies to be carried out on alien herbaceous plants for a broader understanding of the integration of alien plants into the pharmacopoeias of the receiving communities.


1996 ◽  
Vol 24 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 637-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Aikman ◽  
Daniel Bergman ◽  
John Ebinger ◽  
David Seigler

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Senilolia H. Tuiwawa ◽  
Gunnar Keppel

Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) plantations cover a considerable area on the south-eastern parts of Viti Levu, Fiji. The understorey of these plantations often comprise a diverse, but undocumented, assemblage of native plant species. This study investigates the diversity, composition and regeneration potential of native plant species in the Wainiveiota mahogany plantation 40?50 years after establishment. Ten 10 m x 10 m plots were alternately placed at 10 m intervals perpendicular to a 200 m line transect. A total of 491 individual plants with dbh ≥ 1 cm, comprising 69 species, 51 genera and 34 families, were sampled. In addition to the exotic mahogany, there were 68 native (39 endemic, 24 indigenous and 5 identified to genus only) species recorded. Girronniera celtidifolia Gaud., Dillenia biflora (A.Gray) Martelli ex Dur. & Jacks and Barringtonia edulis Seem. had the highest recruitment and Endospermum macrophyllum (Muell.Arg.) Pax & Hoffm. was the dominant native species. Syzygium Gaertn. (Myrtaceae) was the most diverse genus and Myrtaceae the most diverse family. With 98% of the sapling recruitment consisting of native species, there is potential for re-establishment of a lowland rainforest dominated by native species over time.


EDIS ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamba Gyeltshen ◽  
Amanda Hodges

The twobanded Japanese weevil, Pseudocneorhinus bifasciatus (Roelofs), first collected in the United States in 1914 near Philadelphia, was most likely introduced with infested nursery stock from Japan (Wheeler and Boyd 2005). With a host range of over 100 plant species, the twobanded Japanese weevil is recognized in the northeastern and midwestern United States as an important pest of landscape plantings (Wheeler and Boyd 2005). Although not a pest of major concern yet in the southeastern states, it is likely to extend its range due to movement of nursery stock. In July 2005, two specimens of the twobanded Japanese weevil were collected at Chipley, Florida, which is in Washington county (Thomas 2005). This document is EENY-361 (IN646), one of a series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date December 2005. EENY361/IN646: Twobanded Japanese Weevil, Pseudocneorhinus bifasciatus Roelofs (Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (ufl.edu)


2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. P. Thomson ◽  
M. R. Leishman

Australian soils are naturally low in nutrient concentrations, particularly nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Native plants are well adapted to low-nutrient soils, and can be adversely affected when exposed to higher concentrations of nutrients. The Hawkesbury Sandstone soils in northern Sydney are naturally low in nutrients, but often receive additional nutrient input from urban stormwater run-off. Increases in soil nutrients in urban bushland are associated with the presence of exotic species, and the decline in the diversity of native species. This study tested the hypothesis that high concentrations of nutrients, in particular P, in the disturbed soils of urban bushland, reduce survival of native plants. We examined the survival of native species under five different nutrient concentrations that are typical of nutrient-enriched urban bushland soil, in two glasshouse experiments. The experiments examined both survival of seedlings and survival of 6-month-old plants. We used native species that are adapted to both nutrient-poor and nutrient-rich soils. In general, the survival of native plants decreased with increasing nutrient concentrations. At soil total-P concentrations >200 mg kg–1, most plants died. Seedlings were more sensitive to added nutrients than the 6-month-old plants. Species that were from higher-nutrient soil had consistently higher survival than species from low-nutrient soils, under the nutrient addition treatments. These results suggest that at high soil nutrient concentrations typical of stormwater-affected urban bushland, native plant species of low-nutrient soils will be unable to survive. If ecological restoration works are to be done in such areas, replanting with more mature plants from naturally high-nutrient habitats is likely to be the most successful. However, restoration of these areas may have limited success and they are likely to remain dominated by exotic plant species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-24
Author(s):  
Mouldi Gamoun ◽  
Mounir Louhaichi

Abstract Nowadays, the ecology and evolutionary potential of alien species are the subjects of several ecological studies. The goal of this study was to compare the feeding preference of Arion ater on seedlings and leaves of alien and native plant species. Seedlings of three native species and one alien species were offered to slugs individually and in combination. Afterward, leaf discs from the native and alien species collected from the same source site of slug’s habitat were offered individually and in combination for slugs. When the new plant emerges, it constitutes a generous source of potential food and slugs would even feed on seedlings, which are not particularly palatable. Nonetheless, when given a choice, slug often preferentially feeds on some food items while ignoring others. Alien plants are more resistant to herbivory than native plants. There is a general tendency for alien species to be less palatable than native species. In general, slugs may eat a wide range of seedlings that are much more attractive than mature plants of the same species. Therefore, the native herbivores were found to attack native plants and promoted alien plants. Consequently, highly unacceptable alien species such as Eucalyptus globulus may play an important role in the restoration process.


2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Brzuszek ◽  
Richard L. Harkess ◽  
Susan J. Mulley

In their efforts to provide better land stewardship and management, landscape architects are increasingly addressing site ecology in a wide variety of project types. From urban developments to rural properties, designers are using more sustainable design and management techniques, which include the expanded use of regional native plants. This survey study explores the use of native plants by landscape architects in the southeastern United States. Survey results show that southeastern United States designers are using a significant proportion of regional native plant species in their project specifications. Rather than using native plants strictly for conservation measures, landscape architects have found local species to be better suited to difficult or unique site conditions. The findings show that there is potential for expansion in the production and marketing of plant species indigenous to the southeastern United States.


2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 168-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Brzuszek ◽  
Richard L. Harkess

Recent studies have shown that the use of native plants by landscape architects and contractors in the southeastern United States has increased as has the clientele interest level in native plants. Recommendations to increase the use of native species by the landscape industry in this region include increasing the number of nurseries carrying native plants and the quantities and species currently available. To understand how green industry professionals view the opportunities and constraints of the current southeastern United States native plant market and to synthesize the connections between landscape architect's demands and the supplies of the nursery industry in this region, a questionnaire was developed and e-mailed to southeastern U.S. wholesale and retail nurseries in six states. The survey included questions regarding nursery stock, demand, and species sold. A total of 129 responses were received, and they revealed that while there is a perceived increase in customer interest in native plants, market demand and enhanced public education play a key role in further development of this growing market.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hans Stoffregen

<p>The abundance and condition of possums in various areas of the Karori Reserve, Wellington - Sounds Ecological District was assessed. Possums were most abundant in the upper part of the reserve in an area dominated by bishop and radiata pines with an undergrowth of native species and in an area dominated by gorse and flax shrublands. In the lower part of the reserve, possums were less abundant and there a number of characteristics were observed: possums had a higher body weight for age, their reproductive output was higher and the population was marked by a higher proportion of females and juveniles. This was interpreted as a "compensatory response" characteristic of possum populations maintained at low densities. Possum stomachs were sampled in spring and their contents analysed in order to investigate the importance of Fuchsia excorticata and other plant species to possum diet. In the lower part of the reserve the leaves of Fuchsia excorticata and the flowers of Cytisus scoparius made up more than 50 percent of the possums' forage. In the upper part of the reserve exotic species such as the flowers of Cytisus scoparius and Ulex europeans as well as the leaves of native species such as Aristotelia serrata, Pseudopanax arboreus and Coprosma robusta made up the bulk of possum forage. Exotic plants accounted for a significant proportion of the spring possum diet in the reserve. Whereas most leaves originated from native plants, the exotic species contributed mainly carbohydrate-rich flowers and pollen. The canopy condition of two possum-susceptible tree species Fuchsia excorticata and Pseudopanax arboreus was assessed early in autumn over the years 1993, 1995 and 1996. Over these years, 47 percent of marked fuchsia trees were completely defoliated and most trees are unlikely to recover even if possums are eradicated from the reserve. All defoliated fuchsia trees were located in the upper part of the reserve. On the other hand, 37 percent of marked fuchsia trees exhibited only a little possum damage. Most of these trees were located in the lower part of the reserve where possum density was lower. Increasing possum densities could therefore be correlated with an increasing level of possum damage to fuchsia canopies. Even though Pseudopanax arboreus leaves and petioles were encountered in 10 percent of possum stomachs, the canopies leaves and petioles were encountered in 10 percent of possum stomachs, the canopies of assessed trees did not seem to be greatly affected. It appeared that due to the high abundance of this plant species in the reserve the effects of possum browse were spread over the whole reserve to levels which could be tolerated by an individual Pseudopanax arboreus tree.</p>


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