Learn About The Plants in the Grasslands
Some Plants of the Grasslands:
Milkweed Flowers:
(Asclepias syriaca) Milkweed flower have a single stem that has a height of 1.6 - 6 ft. The plant can have multiple stems. The oval leaves can be found on opposite sides of the stem. These leaves are are usually found to be 5 - 25 cm. long. The surface of the leaves are smooth on the top & hairy underneath. |
Prairie Blazing Star Flower:
(Liatris pycnostachya) The Prairie Blazing Star Flower has a single stem that has a height of 4 ft. tall. This central stem is fairly stout, with a variety of short small longitudinal ridges. Through out the stem there are white hairs scattered on the plant. The leaves near the base of the plant are up to 10" long and ½" wide, but become smaller towards the top.
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White Heath Aster:
(Aster pilosus) The White Aster is a plant that has tall branched stems that range from 1 - 4 ft. tall in the upper half. The flower has smooth long hairs throughout the whole plant. The Aster plant has different shaped leaves depending on the where the leaves are located. The lower leaves are lance-shaped, the mid-way leaves are more linear but lack petioles, & the upper leaves are small, narrow, pointed, and numerous.
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The Purple Coneflower:
(Echinacea purpurea) The The purple Coneflower is a plant that is commonly found in the Grasslands. This plant has a smooth stem that ranges from 2 - 5 ft. high. This plants has rough scattered leaves that get smaller towards the top of the stem. The Purple Coneflower has small smooth hairs throughout the whole stretch of the stem.
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Acacia Tree:
(disambiguation) Acacia trees have been known to be able to grow up to 70 ft. in height with a diameter of 3 - 20 ft. These acacia trees have long thick branches that contain many clusters of yellow or white flowers. The leaves of this tree could be either bipinnate or subdivided leaflets depending on it's species.
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Baobab Tree:
(Adansonia) The baobab trees is one of the oldest trees in the world today. The baobab tree has been know for reaching heights of over 100 ft. and about 110 ft. in circumference. Many of the baobab trees are thought to be about several thousand years old. Just the trunk of the tree is able to hold 32,000 gallons of water.
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Box Elder Tree:(disambiguation)
The Box Elder tree is a plant that can grow 33 - 82 ft. tall with a trunk diameter of 10 - 12 in. The bark on the trunk of the tree can be a pale gray or a light brown. The leaflets of this tree are about 5 - 10 cm. long and 3 - 7 cm. wide. The flowers on this tree produces racemes that are 10 - 20 cm. long. These seeds are paired in samaras that are look like an incurved wing.
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Gum Arabic Tree:
(Acacia senegal) Gum Arabic is a thorny tree that reaches over 65 feet in height. Gum Arabic is a drought-tolerant tree that produces sap, also known as gum Arabic---that is harvested from winter to summer for medicinal and food purposes. In the African savanna, the gum Arabic tree provides shade and shelter to many wildlife species. |
June Grass:(Koeleria macrantha)
Jun Grass can reach heights from 7.9–28 inches. The leaves are basal and can grow up to about 8 inches long. June Grass holds shiny tan spikelets which can be tinted with purple, each about half a centimeter long. |
Big Bluestem Grass:
(Andropogon gerardii) Big Blue Stem grass is tolerant in a wide range of soil conditions. Depending on soil and moisture, it grows to a height of 3.3–9.8 feet. The stem base turns blue or purple as it matures. |
Indian Grass: (Sorghastrum nutans) Indian Grass is a North American prairie grass found in Canada, Central America and Eastern America. Indianan Grass is found in tall grass prairie. Indian grass blooms in late spring, and does not tolerate shade. |
Buffalo Grass:
(Bouteloua dactyloides) Buffalo grass is a short grass native to North America. Buffalo Grass is Drought, heat, and cold resistant. Buffalo Grass can grow from 2- 5.1 inches high. Flower stalks can grow from 3.9-7.9 inches tall. |
In conclusion to the plants of the grasslands, many have had adaption to their environment. Some of the examples of these adaption are the long extensive root systems that hold the plant and the soil in place from winds and feeding animal. Another example of the adaptations is the soft stems that these plants have to allow them to bend in the wind. Trees have had an adaption of thick bark that protect them from fires. Most plants have narrow leaves which lose less water than broad leaves. Some plants produce samaras that are incurved wings, containing seeds, that use the wind to disperse.