Download Rubal Saini

Rubal Saini
Biology 1903
Field Trip Report
This was the first time I went to the Morton Arboretum. I in fact crossed by it
many times and I wanted to see what it’s like. It was a great experience. There were
about 10 students and we all walked thru the trails looking at different plants and trees.
We looked at white oak, bur oak, shack bark hickory, etc. I found the Bur Oak and
Switch grass more interesting because Bur oak’s leaves look like a witch, and the switch
grass because we talked about it the most in our labs.
Bur Oak is a species of Oak in the White oak section, sometimes also spelled as
Burr Oak. The scientific classification for Bur
Oak is, Kingdom: Plantae, Phylum:
Magnoliophyta, Class: Magnoliopsida, Order:
Fagales, Family: Fagaceae, Genus: Quercus,
Species: Q. Macrocarpa, and the scientific name:
Quercus Macrocarpa.
It is important to our ecosystem because it uses carbon dioxide for the process of
photosynthesis and produces oxygen. It is a slow growing tree but one of the fastestgrowing oaks with the growth rate of 60-100 cm/year. It grows up to 30-35 m high, and
trunk of a diameter of up u 3 m (9 feet). Mostly it lives to be 200 – 300 years old.
It is important to our ecosystem because it uses carbon dioxide for the process of
photosynthesis and produces oxygen. Bur Oak typically grows in open, away from forest
canopy. It is also a fire-resistant tree, and possesses significant drought resistance by
virtue of a long taproot. After 2-3 years of growth, it possesses a 1-2 m deep taproot.
The acorns are the largest of any North American oak, and are an important
wildlife food; American Black Bears sometimes tear off branches to get them. Other
wildlife, such as deer and porcupine, eat the leaves, twigs and bark. Cattle are heavy
browsers in some areas. Human also use Oak tree for wood because it has a big trunk and
strong wood.
Switch grass, also known as Tall Panic Grass. Kingdom is plantae, phylum is
magnoliophyta, class is Liliopsida, order is poales,
family is poaceae, genus is panicum, species
virgatum and its scientific name is Panicum
Virgatum. It grows in large clumps, can be found in
marshes, lakeshores, and meadows; in small
prairies, along roadsides, pastures, and as an ornamental in gardens. This hardy, long
lasting grass starts growing at the end of spring time.
It can grow about 5 feet tall, and ½ inch in width. Flowers are small and are grouped
together in a column called a panicle. Panicles of flowers are on the ends of long stems
which can be up to seven feet tall. The panicles can be 10 inches long. The reddish
flowers bloom from June to August before they are replaced with many seeds.
Its flowers have a well-developed often up to 60 cm in length and it has a good
crop of fruits. The fruits are developed from a single flowered spikelet. A spikelet is a
small or secondary spike in grasses. When it is ripe, the seeds sometimes have a pink or
dull purple color, and turn golden brown in the fall. Establishment is recommended in the
spring, at the same time as corn is planted.
Many farmers grow switch grass, either as food for livestock, in wildlife areas, or
as a ground cover, to control erosion. Due to its hardiness and rapid growth, switch
grass is often considered a good candidate for farming as feedstock or for bio fuel
production such as ethanol. Many birds and small mammals eat Switch grass seeds,
including: Canada goose, Mourning Dove, Northern Bobwhite, Wild Turkey, Redwinged Blackbird, Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, Dark-eyed Junco,
Meadow Vole, White-footed Mouse, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Mallard, Eastern Chipmunk,
and sparrows.
Works Cited
"Bur Oak." Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. 20 Oct. 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
13 Nov. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bur_oak>.
"Switchgrass." Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. 21 Oct. 2006. Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc. 13 Nov. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switchgrass>.