[PCA] native plants for cities, stormwater management
Bill Stringer
bstrngr at CLEMSON.EDU
Thu Dec 9 12:31:57 CST 2004
I don't know which native species Fred was referring to, but far greater
hazard to the whole ecosystem can derive from the introduction of
non-native species into wetland or any other habitats. I would suggest you
do a lot of reading and talking before you even consider introducing
non-native plants into this or any other application.
Non-native problem plants in wetlands include water hyacinth, purple
loosestrife, and many others.
Also
read
<file://C:\Eudora\Attach\NativeVegetationInsectsTallamyConservBiol2004.pdf>NativeVegetationInsectsTallamyConservBiol2004.pdf
Bill Stringer
At 09:09 PM 12/8/2004 Wednesday, Center for Sustainable Resources wrote:
>I have worked with the process you speak of quite a bit at times. In fact
>I use natural vegetation to biofilter our aquaculture sites. Probably the
>easiest and most dependable plant you can use for this is the cattail.
>They are commonly used on mine sites now because they are so good at
>binding many substances. Bog plants in general are very good at this. as
>they burn up bicarbonates when the sun shines they collect metals in their
>root systems. Yellow Flag( japanesenaturalized) or blue flag native but
>not much different are also good. Some of the most problematic plants as
>far as growing over the entire waterway are the native ones. Stay away
>from anything viny. Lotus and lilly are good but need to be tamed now and
>then. If you are dealing with a sewage treatment system bullfrog tadpoles
>are good for controling bacteria but you need large numbers. Fred Hays
>
>>From: Louisa Rogoff Thompson <louisathompson at erols.com>
>>To: NativePlantseast <native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org>,
>>WorthleyBotany <WorthleyBotany at yahoogroups.com>
>>Subject: [PCA] native plants for cities, stormwater management
>>Date: Tue, 07 Dec 2004 11:53:47 -0500
>>
>>I'm looking for information about native plants adapted to various kinds
>>of stressful environments, particularly salt and heavy metals. It's my
>>firm belief that plants can take care of soil and water better than
>>facilities made of concrete and other man-made materials. And I prefer
>>to use native plants, because they are unlikely to turn out to be
>>invasive, and because they are more likely than exotics to form
>>collaborative relationships with soil organisms and above-ground wildlife.
>>
>>I'm currently working on a grad school project to design a landscape for
>>a vacant lot which will divert stormwater from the street into the lot to
>>be filtered and slowed down. Most vacant lots previously had buildings
>>on them, which means they now have fill dirt, and infiltration facilities
>>are not permitted on fill. So the water has to be returned to the storm
>>drain system, but some will evaporate and the rest will be returned
>>slowly, reducing the volume of fast-flowing water during the storm.
>>
>>The man at Baltimore's Dept. of Public Works who issues permits for this
>>kind of thing says a solution would be very valuable, and could be used
>>on many vacant lots throughout the city. If I can get this to work, it
>>could have a very significant impact. Did you know that much of
>>Baltimore's stormwater is piped directly into the Inner Harbor? And it
>>carries cadmium, copper, chromium, lead, and other heavy metals, mostly
>>from tires, some from diesel exhaust, and some from old lead paint. And
>>road salt, in winter.
>>
>>If you have seen plants either survive or be harmed by road salt, air
>>pollution (e.g. from bus exhaust at a bus stop), or heavy metals (e.g.,
>>lead paint chips in the soil), I'd like to know about it.
>>
>>Also, if you know of published information please tell me. I have Dirr's
>>Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, which has this kind of information for
>>many trees and shrubs. Is there something comparable for herbaceous
>>plants? I also have Md. Dept. of Environment's Stormwater Design Manual,
>>which has a long list of plants, indicating tolerance to salt and
>>pollution. The only plant listed as tolerant to both is Eastern white
>>pine. Most likely this is a list of known tolerance, i.e., no check mark
>>means no knowledge, not no tolerance.
>>
>>Your help will be much appreciated.
>>
>>Louisa Thompson
>>Institute of Architecture and Planning
>>Morgan State University
>>Baltimore, MD
>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>native-plants mailing list
>>native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org
>>http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/native-plants_lists.plantconservation.org
>
>
>
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William C. Stringer
Forage Agronomist &
Native Plant Enthusiast
Clemson University
Entomology, Soils and Plant Science
279 P&AS Bldg
PO Box 0315
Clemson, SC 29634
864 656 3527 Voice
864 656 3443 FAX
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