. Common plants of longleaf pine-bluestem range. Plant ecology; Grasses; Forage plants. MISCELLANEOUS FORBS Although composites and legumes are the pre- dominant forbs on longleaf pine-bluestem range, many other forb families are represented. These miscellaneous forbs vary vastly in size, form, ap- pearance, and habitat. They range from the insec- tivorous sundews, Drosera spp., mainly rosettes scarcely larger than a dime, to the robust poke- berry, Phytolacca americana L., with specimens occasionally attaining 10 feet. Some—such as but- terfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa L.—are bril- liant w
. Common plants of longleaf pine-bluestem range. Plant ecology; Grasses; Forage plants. MISCELLANEOUS FORBS Although composites and legumes are the pre- dominant forbs on longleaf pine-bluestem range, many other forb families are represented. These miscellaneous forbs vary vastly in size, form, ap- pearance, and habitat. They range from the insec- tivorous sundews, Drosera spp., mainly rosettes scarcely larger than a dime, to the robust poke- berry, Phytolacca americana L., with specimens occasionally attaining 10 feet. Some—such as but- terfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa L.—are bril- liant wild flowers, while many are drab and incon- spicuous. Numerous species inhabit only open land; others prefer heavy shade. Few forbs among this large and interesting array are important as forage for cattle. Most are either insignificant weeds, or they rarely grow in much quantity. Descriptions of several of the commonest follow. Southern bracken, though not a flowering plant, is here included among the forbs. SOUTHERN BRACKEN Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn var. pseudocaudatum (Clute) Heller Southern bracken, a fern of the family Polypo- diaceae, is one of the few conspicuous nonflowering plants in the longleaf pine type. It grows on various sites from open pinelands and abandoned pastures to thickets and frequently burned areas. Although it tolerates dry, sandy soils, it also grows on fertile, moist, heavily wooded sites. Bracken lacks vertical stems. Coarse, stiffly erect fronds rise to a height of 1 to 5 feet from hairy, horizontal rhizomes. The frond blade, broadly tri- angular in shape, consists of opposite, finely divided segments. Plant tops are killed by frost, the dead fronds persisting through the winter. Bracken spreads rapidly by creeping rhizomes, often almost continuously covering extensive areas. Plants produce no seeds; besides spreading by rhi- zomes, they reproduce by spores, which are barely visible to the naked eye. Southern bracken is toxic to livestock;
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, booksubjectforageplants, booksubjectgrasses
