* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Grasses
Survey
Document related concepts
Plant nutrition wikipedia , lookup
Plant stress measurement wikipedia , lookup
Ecology of Banksia wikipedia , lookup
Plant use of endophytic fungi in defense wikipedia , lookup
Plant defense against herbivory wikipedia , lookup
Plant physiology wikipedia , lookup
Plant breeding wikipedia , lookup
Plant evolutionary developmental biology wikipedia , lookup
Plant secondary metabolism wikipedia , lookup
Plant reproduction wikipedia , lookup
Plant ecology wikipedia , lookup
Plant morphology wikipedia , lookup
Gartons Agricultural Plant Breeders wikipedia , lookup
Sustainable landscaping wikipedia , lookup
Glossary of plant morphology wikipedia , lookup
Transcript
Grasses Grasses 138 139 guli Native millet Language name guli (gamilaraay, yuwalaraay) Scientific name Panicum decompositum Plant location Plant description guli is a perennial grass growing to 1 metre high. It has large, pale blue-green leaves and spindly, branching seed heads. The leaves grow to 50cm long and the seed heads grow between 30 - 80cm long. The seeds are around 1.5mm long. Grasses guli (Native Millet) grows in good soils throughout the central and western areas of the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments. Traditional use guli grows well after good rain, and produces very large numbers of seed during summer and autumn. When ripe, these seeds were gathered by women and eaten raw after separating by threshing, or ground into a type of flour on milling stones, mixed with water, made into a damper and cooked in ashes (Howell 1983). Seed head 140 141 ganalay Mitchell grass Language name ganalay (yuwalayaay) Scientific name Astrebla pectinata and other Astrebla species ganalay is widespread in the western areas of the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments. It grows on clay and loam soils. Plant description ganalay grows in tussocks to a height of 1.2 metres, usually averaging 60cm high. It has erect stems which are hairless and smooth. It has sharp, rough leaves which are 6mm wide and bluish-green in colour. The flower head is 4-13cm long and 1-2cm wide, with 2 rows of spikelets. The grass flowers following rain. Grasses Plant location Traditional use ganalay seeds were a valuable source of carbohydrates for Aboriginal people. This grass was plentiful and the seed was easy to separate from the chaff. The grass was dried on racks in the sun and the seeds were gathered, ground and made into damper. Large quantities were stored. Seed grinding grooves in rocks, from the use of native grasses, can be found throughout the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments- this reminds us of how important these grasses were in the diet of Aboriginal people (Purcell 2002, Cribb & Cribb 1975). Sometimes, a bird trap could be made of two sticks and a net of ganalay. This was set on swamps for ducks, and on fields of ganalay to catch parrots. Seed head 142 Grass habit 143 garaarr Kangaroo grass Language name garaarr (gamilaraay) ggaraarr (gamilaraay) buunhu (yuwaalaraay, yuwaalayaay) Scientific name Themeda australis garaarr (Kangaroo grass) is widespread in a variety of habitats throughout the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments. Plant description garaarr is a leafy perennial grass which grows to 150 cm high. The stems are smooth and hairless, while the flowerheads are loose with irregularly spaced spikelets. This plant is often tinted red. Grasses Plant location Traditional use garaarr (Kangaroo grass) is an iconic native grass of the Australian bush. Many explorers wrote of the vast plains of Kangaroo grass that they saw when they first visited Australia. The seeds of this plant, which ripen in summer, were collected across the tablelands of New South Wales by Aboriginal people. The large quantities of seed were collected in wooden bowls or coolamons, separated from the chaff and then ground with a grinding dish and stone. Look out for these grinding grooves which can still be seen across the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments. After grinding, the flour was mixed with water and baked to make damper (Australian National Botanic Gardens 2010f).The words garaarr, ggaraarr and buunhu are the general name for grass. Grass habit 144 Seed head (close up) Seed head 145 garaarr Swamp foxtail Language name garaarr (gamilaraay) ggaraarr (gamilaraay) buunhu (yuwaalaraay, yuwaalayaay) Scientific name Pennisetum alopeculoides garaarr (Swamp Foxtail) is found in the central and eastern areas of the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments. It usually grows on flats below watercourses and in boggy areas. Plant description Grasses Plant location garaarr is a tufted perennial grass which grows to 1 metre high. It forms large tussocks. The flower is spike-like, cylindrical and dense, growing up to 20cm long. Traditional use The stems and heads of garaarr were used as a broom. Women also used these parts of the plant to weave baskets and other implements. The gurayn (flower) heads were occasionally used as decoration (Hudson, in press). The words garaarr, ggaraarr and buunhu are the general name for grass. Seed head 146 Grass habit Grass habit 147 dharill Common reed Language name dharill (gamilaraay) Scientific name Phragmites australis Plant location Plant description dharill grows in or near water and reaches a height of up to 6 metres, but is usually less than 2 metres tall. The stems are cane-like, while the leaves taper to form a fine point. The flower heads are dense and slightly nodding, with a brown to purplish colour. dharill has the appearance of small bamboo. Grasses dharill (the Common reed) grows in wet places especially at the edge of ponds and streams. It is widespread throughout the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments. Traditional use The stems of dharill have been used by Aboriginal people to weave baskets and bags, and the women sometimes made skirts to wear (Howell 1983). Twine was made from dharill. The stems can be used to make light spears which can be used to spear fish. The stems are also used to make fire (Williams & Sides 2008). The warran (roots) of dharill can be dug up and cooked - they are good eating. Due to its close proximity to water and dense foliage, this plant provides good habitat for wildlife. In some areas of the Murray River, dharill was used to make rafts to collect mussels on inland lakes. The stems were sometimes cut into short lengths to stick through the septum of the nose for decoration or it was worn like a necklace, with animal fur or fibre threaded through it. Both men and women enjoyed wearing the necklaces (Purcell 2002). Grass habit 148 Seed head 149