Guide to Grasses of Southern Africa

by Frits van Oudtshoorn

Overview

Grasses were the first plants to be cultivated by man for food and are still the most important food crop. Grass also plays a vital role in the ecology in terms of food for animals and protecting the soil from erosion.

Guide to Grasses of Southern Africa is the only full color guide to the common grasses of southern Africa and includes descriptions of the 320 most important grasses in southern Africa.

Other features are: an easy-to-use grass identification key, more than 1000 excellent color photographs and a series of icons that enable the reader to obtain key information at a glance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781920217358
Publisher:	Briza Publications
Publication date:	03/15/2012
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

FRITS VAN OUDTSHOORN grew up on a farm near Vivo in the Limpopo province of South Africa, where he developed a keen interest in the natural environment. He holds a Masters degree in Nature Consevation, specializing in Ecological Restoration. He is currently running an ecological consultancy company, Bushveld Eco Services, which specializes in ecological assessments and ecological and agricultural training.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 6

Introduction 7

Part 1 Introductory chapters 9

What is grass? 10

Grain 12

Other uses 14

Grass and ecology 16

Grass and grazing 18

Grass and soil erosion 20

Grass and veld management 22

Grass and veld fires 24

Grass and plant succession 26

Sweet and sourveld 28

Veld restoration 30

Cultivated pastures 32

Further reading 34

Part 2 The grasses 37

Structure of the grass plant 38

Vegetative parts 38

Reproductive parts 40

Spikelets of larger genera 42

Meaning of icons 44

Grasses of southern Africa 45

Other important grasses 258

Terminology 270

Synonyms 272

Bibliography 274

Index 275

Identification key 280