Wayne, you bring up a "thorny" issue...one of my favorite conundrums. A weed by any other name, eh? From the wiki entry you provided, I see many references to weeds as "undesirable" or "nuisance" plants with little use to humans. I agree that "the term weed in its general sense is a subjective one, without any classification value, since a 'weed' is not a weed when growing where it belongs or is wanted." (Emphasis mine) For instance, dandelions are unwanted nuisances when a person wants a well-manicured, well-behaved lawn. To the wine-maker and the child, however, dandelions are very desirable. Japanese knotweed is a scourge to many who own river-front property infested with the tall plant; bee-keepers, however, are very grateful for their late-season profusion of blooms providing needed nutrition for their fuzzy little wards. Weediness, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder. I am fascinated by Prof. Lewontin's definition of a weed as a plant that creates "environmental conditions in which it cannot reproduce." Pine trees as weeds...Interesting concept! By that definition, a pine grove, left undisturbed by fire or man's axe, would die off of its own accord? Would that apply to all evergreens, or just pines? I'll have to look him up and read some of his research, see if I can delve deeper. I know there has been a concerted effort over the past few years to define "invasive" as well; not sure if that effort is making any headway or if it, too, is somewhat subjective. I, for one, consider poison ivy to be both invasive and noxious, but it's only noxious to humans, apparently. Were we covered in fur or feathers, the urushiol oil could not contact our tender skin and cause the burning rash so famous among hikers and Boy Scouts. By the same token, my daughter loves Creeping Charlie or Ground Ivy, and can spend hours nibbling the delicate little purple flowers for their minty essence. There is also the question of abundance and "aggressiveness." What some call "aggressive" growth could be seen as "successful adaptation to environmental pressures," could it not? Japanese knotweed is a "first responder," so to speak, in volcanic situations in Japan, being one of the first (if not THE first) plant to re-colonize after a lava flow. It was introduced to the US as an ornamental at first and then as a stream bank stabilizer to hold soil in place. It has since spread very successfully all over the country. There are critters that use it (bees, ants, other insects) and it is edible when very young and relatively tender. So I guess that, ultimately, we ought to pony up and admit that most definitions of "weed" and "invasive" are going to distill down to what we humans value and desire. And that our needs, values and desires are going to change over time. Respectfully, Kelly Stettner Black River Action Team www(dot)BlackRiverActionTeam.org blackriverclea...@yahoo(dot)com Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:49:58 -0700 From: Wayne Tyson <[email protected]> Subject: Plants Colonizing Weedy or Ruderal or Invasive Arguments and Distinctions?
Ecolog:=20 Fools rush in where the exalted fear to tread, but here goes: A certain certainty seems to persist around the subject of colonizing species or "weeds." I have visited a couple of sites (one highly professional, but still confusing) which contain what appear to me to be quaint statements, hidden amongst the valid phrases. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weed and its associated pages, for example, may be sowing the seeds of confusion far and wide. I do not know how widespread these alien, ruderal, or feral ideas are, or whether I am persistently misinformed. It seems that with respect to "weed" in particular, authors prefer to "hedge" rather than clarify or qualify--at least sufficiently, in my view. An ecological view seems to be lacking, even for "balance." I do not want to lead others down the garden path, but I think is it high time this confusion was clarified and settled, at least to the point where differences are made distinct. Are you similarly disturbed or confused? Would you please participate in getting to the root of the matter, right here on Ecolog? Thank you all for your help. WT
