In the French Revolutionary Calendar, today is Trainasse (Day of Knot-weed). 10 facts about Japanese knot-weed:
It belongs to the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae) and the scientific name is scientific name is Reynoutria japonica. Common names for it include Billy weed, Monkey Fungus, Elephant Ears, Donkey Rhubarb and Mexican Bamboo.
It is native to China, Korea, and Japan. The Victorians brought it to the UK because they liked its pretty white Flowers. It was used to line railway tracks because it grows quickly.
Japanese knot-weed thrives in areas with disturbed soil, such as farmsteads, trails, and roadsides. It can tolerate drought, full sun, deep shade, high temperatures, and high soil salinity and is frequently found along streams and rivers.
Japanese knot-weed can grow by up to 10cm a day in summer and can grow through walls, tarmac and concrete. In Asia it is controlled by fungus and insects, but it has no natural enemies in the UK, hence it grows unchecked.
It’s bad news if you find it in your garden. Mortgage lenders have been known to refuse mortgages on properties which are affected by Japanese knot-weed. There are also a lot of laws regarding it – you can be prosecuted if it spreads to your neighbours. If you cut it down you can’t just put it in your garden waste bin because it is controlled waste. It is against the law to dispose of it incorrectly.
It is estimated that there could be one infestation every 10 square metres in the UK.
The United Kingdom’s Environment Agency has named Japanese knot-weed the country’s most invasive and destructive plant. Experts estimate the cost of keeping Japanese knot-weed under control could be adding 10% or more to development and construction projects, costing the British economy £166 million. The organisers of London 2012 Olympics spent years controlling Japanese Knot-weed after it invaded 2 of the main arenas.
It might look dead in winter as the leaves fall off and the stems turn brown, but rhizomes in the ground remain alive and the plant will grow again in the spring.
It may seem after reading all this that there is nothing good about this plant at all. However, in the US Japanese knot-weed flowers are valued by beekeepers as an important source of nectar for Honey Bees when little else is flowering. It yields a monofloral Honey, called bamboo honey by northeastern U.S. beekeepers. Ground-feeding songbirds and gamebirds also eat the seeds.
The stems are edible. They taste like Rhubarb and can be eaten raw or cooked. In Japan, it is foraged as a wild edible vegetable (sansai).
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment