[APWG] FW: Information on Vetiver Use (fwd)

[Olivia Kwong]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: PWS-Marilyn Harang
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2006 8:53 AM
To: 'apwg at lists.plantconservation.org'
Subject: Information on Vetiver Use


I am interested in any research on the plant and its impact on the
California eco-system, or any other locations in the U.S.

VETIVER GRASS (Veteveria zizanioides) (native to India)

To introduce vetiver grass into California (or more specifically to the
Bay Area) could, in my opinion, be disastrous.  Non-native grasses,
especially plants of the size of vetiver grass (to 9 feet tall, roots 12
feet long), quickly outcompete the native vegetation and are extremely
difficult to eradicate once they have become established.  Examples of
invasions by two large, non-native grasses are giant reed (Arundo donax)
and pampas grass ( Cortaderia jubata), both of which have destroyed
native habitats and disturbed the ecological balance in wetlands,
watercourses, and marshes around San Francisco Bay (see attached
pictures).  Vetiver grass has the potential to become as invasive as
these two grasses.

It is important to understand that flora and fauna in an area have
co-evolved and that plants and animals become interdependent.  Native
animals are dependent on native plants for food and shelter.  Plants are
at the bottom of the food chain, therefore, if the plant is not "usable"
by an animal species, for example a mouse, the animals higher up in the
food chain will also disappear - such as the snake and the hawk.


......Marilyn
Marilyn W. Harang mharang at redwoodcity.org
Superintendent - Wastewater
Public Works Services Dept.
City of Redwood City, CA 94063
v  (650) 780-7477

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