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Chalk Heath
Chalk heath is a rare habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, formed of a paradoxical mixture of shallow-rooted calcifuge ("calcium-hating") and deeper-rooted calcicole ("calcium-loving") plants, growing on a thin layer of acidic soil over an alkaline substrate. Chalk heath is intermediate between two much more widespread habitats, chalk grassland and heathland. Ecology Chalk heath occurs where a thin layer of acidic soil (often loess or sand) overlies a basic (alkaline) one, such as chalk. Shallow-rooted plants grow only in the acidic soil (typically a few centimetres thick), and so these are species characteristic of acidic habitats. Deeper-rooted plants can reach the underlying alkaline substrate, and so these include species characteristic of alkaline habitats. Plants also occur which are able to tolerate both acidic and basic conditions. There are no plants restricted entirely to chalk heath, and the animals are also those characteristic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, And Shrublands
Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The predominant vegetation in this biome consists of grass and/or shrubs. The climate is temperate and ranges from semi-arid to semi-humid. The habitat type differs from tropical grasslands in the annual temperature regime as well as the types of species found here. The habitat type is known as prairie in North America, pampas in South America, veld in Southern Africa and steppe in Asia. Generally speaking, these regions are devoid of trees, except for riparian or gallery forests associated with streams and rivers. Steppes/shortgrass prairies are short grasslands that occur in semi-arid climates. Tallgrass prairies are tall grasslands in areas of higher rainfall. Heaths and pastures are, respectively, low shrublands and grasslands where forest growth is hindered by human activity but not the climate. Tall grasslands, including the tallgrass prairie of North Am ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult males are referred to as bulls. Cattle are commonly raised as livestock for meat ( beef or veal, see beef cattle), for milk (see dairy cattle), and for hides, which are used to make leather. They are used as riding animals and draft animals ( oxen or bullocks, which pull carts, plows and other implements). Another product of cattle is their dung, which can be used to create manure or fuel. In some regions, such as parts of India, cattle have significant religious significance. Cattle, mostly small breeds such as the Miniature Zebu, are also kept as pets. Different types of cattle are common to different geographic areas. Taurine cattle are found primarily in Europe and temperate areas of Asia, the Americas, and Australia. Zebus ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juniperus Communis
''Juniperus communis'', the common juniper, is a species of small tree or shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae. An evergreen conifer, it has the largest geographical range of any woody plant, with a circumpolar distribution throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere. Description ''Juniperus communis'' is very variable in form, ranging from —rarely —tall to a low, often prostrate spreading shrub in exposed locations. It has needle-like leaves in whorls of three; the leaves are green, with a single white stomatal band on the inner surface. It never attains the scale-like adult foliage of other members of the genus. It is dioecious, with male and female cones (both of which are wind pollinated) on separate plants. The male cones are yellow, long, and fall soon after shedding their pollen in March–April. The fruit are berry-like cones known as juniper berries. They are initially green, ripening in 18 months to purple-black with a blue waxy coating; they are spheri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teucrium Scorodonia
''Teucrium scorodonia'', common name the woodland germander or wood sage, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Teucrium'' of the family Lamiaceae. It is native to Western Europe and Tunisia, but cultivated in many places as an ornamental plant in gardens, and naturalized in several regions (New Zealand, Azores, and a few locales in North America). Description ''Teucrium scorodonia'' reaches on average of height. It is a hairy herbaceous perennial with erect and branched stems. The leaves are petiolate, irregularly toothed, triangular-ovate to oblong shaped, lightly wrinkled. The inflorescence is composed by one-sided (all flowers "look" at the same side) pale green or yellowish flowers bearing four stamens The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ... with reddi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agrostis Capillaris
''Agrostis capillaris'', the common bent, colonial bent, or browntop, is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family ( Poaceae). It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world. Colonial bent grows in moist grasslands and open meadows, and can also be found in agricultural areas, roadsides, and invading disturbed areas. The name '' Agrostis'' comes from the Greek word meaning forage plant, ''agros'' meaning "a field". It is found growing in neutral to acidic soils. It has a very fine texture and like most bent grasses grows very dense. Although this species is used on golf courses, providing some of the best ball playing surfaces in the world, it also produces a spectacular visual appearance when maintained properly. It provides an excellent home lawn but is not tolerant of heavy use. Colonial bent is fairly easy to grow from seeds and fertilization of the lawn is not as intense. This grass also takes longer to establish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stachys Officinalis
''Betonica officinalis'' (syn. ''Stachys officinalis''), commonly known as common hedgenettle, betony, purple betony, wood betony, bishopwort, or bishop's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Pliny (25, 8, 46, § 84) calls the plant both ''betonica'' and ''vettonica'', claiming that the Vettones used it as a herbal medicine. It is commonly known as ''Stachys officinalis'', the word ''stachys'' coming from the Greek, meaning "an ear of grain," and refers to the fact that the inflorescence is often a spike. The Latin specific epithet ''officinalis'' refers to plants which had a culinary or medicinal use. Description ''Betonica officinalis'' is a rhizotomous, patch-forming, grassland herbaceous perennial growing to tall. Its leaves are stalked on upright stems, narrowly oval, with a heart-shaped base, with a somewhat wrinkled texture and toothed margins. The calyx is 5–7 mm long, with 5 t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheep's Sorrel
''Rumex acetosella'', commonly known as red sorrel, sheep's sorrel, field sorrel and sour weed, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Native to Eurasia and the British Isles, the plant and its subspecies are common perennial weeds. It has green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinted deeply ridged stems, and it sprouts from an aggressive and spreading rhizome. The flowers emerge from a tall, upright stem. Female flowers are maroon in color. Description ''Rumex acetosella'' is a perennial herb which spreads via rhizomes. It has a slender and reddish, upright stem that is branched at the top, reaching a height of . The arrow-shaped leaves are small, about long and wide, with pointed lobes at the base. It blooms during March to November, when yellowish-green (male) or reddish (female) flowers develop on separate plants at the apex of the stem, which develop into the red fruits (achenes). It should not be confused with the similarly named ''R. aceros ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danthonia Decumbens
''Danthonia decumbens'' (formerly ''Sieglingia decumbens'') is a species of grass commonly known as the heath grass, heath-grass, or staggers grass It is a tussock grass native to Europe and adjacent parts of Asia and North Africa. It may also be native to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Description ''Danthonia decumbens'' is a perennial plant with a decumbent habit; it lies on the ground with the tips turned upward. It has narrow, bright green leaves taper to a sharp point and are rather hairy. A long upper leaf sheath clasps the delicate stem. The stem is high and slightly bent at the base, smooth with 1 to 3 nodes. The ligule consists of a ring of hairs, as in the purple moor grass, '' Molinia caerulea'', except that in this plant each end has a tuft of longer hairs. The panicle consists of 4 or 5 large erect glaucous silvery green or purplish awnless spikelets. These are arranged alternately on the upper part of the stem. The bunchgrass flowers in the summer months. Ecolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calluna
''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade. It is the dominant plant in most heathland and moorland in Europe, and in some bog vegetation and acidic pine and oak woodland. It is tolerant of grazing and regenerates following occasional burning, and is often managed in nature reserves and grouse moors by sheep or cattle grazing, and also by light burning. ''Calluna'' was separated from the closely related genus ''Erica'' by Richard Anthony Salisbury, who devised the generic name ''Calluna'' probably from the Ancient Greek (), "beautify, sweep clean", in reference to its traditional use in besoms. The specific epithet ''vulgaris'' is Latin for 'common'. ''Calluna'' is differentiate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erica Cinerea
''Erica cinerea'', the bell heather, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to western and central Europe. The plant provides a great deal of nectar for pollinators. It was rated in the top 5 for most nectar production (nectar per unit cover per year) in a UK plants survey conducted by the AgriLand project which is supported by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative. Description It is a low, spreading shrub growing to tall, with fine needle-like leaves long arranged in whorls of three. The flowers are bell-shaped, purple (rarely white), long, produced in mid- to late summer. The flowers are dry, similar in texture to the strawflower. The Latin specific epithet ''cinerea'' means "ash coloured". Distribution ''Erica cinerea'' is native to the west of Europe, where it is most abundant in Britain and Ireland, France, northern Spain and southern Norway. It also occurs in the Faroe Islands, Belgium, Germany, north-western Italy, and the Netherlands. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polygala Vulgaris
''Polygala vulgaris'', known as the common milkwort, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus '' Polygala'' in the family Polygalaceae. Description The biological form of ''Polygala vulgaris'' is '' hemicryptophyte'' ''scapose'',Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. II, pag. 32 as its overwintering buds are situated just below the soil surface and the floral axis is more or less erect with a few leaves. ''Polygala vulgaris'' reaches on average in height. The stems have many branches and are woody at the base. It has alternating pointed leaves, almost glabrous, 2 to 4 mm wide and 10 to 20 mm long. Basal leaves are spatulate, with rounded apex, while the upper leaves are lanceolate. The flowers are gathered in long terminal inflorescences. The colour of the corolla varies between blue and violet, it can rarely occur in purple forms. The flower's outer three sepals are normally small, green and insignificant, whilst the inner two sepals are bigg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Filipendula Vulgaris
''Filipendula vulgaris'', commonly known as dropwort or fern-leaf dropwort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae, closely related to meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria''). It is found in dry pastures across much of Europe and central and northern Asia, mostly on lime. The crushed leaves and roots have a scent of the oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate). Taxonomy and naming The genus name ''Filipendula'' comes from Latin ''filum'' ("thread") and ''pendulus'' ("hanging") in reference to the root tubers that hang from the roots in some species. The specific epithet ''vulgaris'' means "common". The English name "dropwort" comes from the tubers that hang like drops from the root. Description It has finely-cut, fern-like radical leaves which form a basal rosette, and an erect stem tall C. A. Stace, ''Interactive Flora of the British Isles, a Digital Encyclopaedia'': ''Filipendula vulgaris''. .Online version) bearing a loose terminal inflorescence of small crea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
