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Re: Spartium junceum

I agree with this point made about Spartium. The histeria is often aroused
in a group of poorly  informed individuals who end up making the decisions.
I must say that part of all this is our fault-we haven't represented
ourselves as horticulturists and botanists and laws are being made. Here is
something I wrote for the Arizona Native Plant listserver. I want to let you
all know before you read this that I am definitely for the usage of native
plants. I am have even been selected to be president of the Tucson chapter
of the Arizona Native Plant Society. I do a lot of work with natives. But I
am not against non-natives. Here is an unedited message I sent last night.
Tell me what you all think. I am interested in what people about the country
think about all this non-native backlash:

Date:    Wed, 13 May 1998 22:00:11 -0700
From:    "Jared R. Shortman" <jared@LIBCONG.COM>
Subject: A plug for the non-natives
    I have a very deep concern that I thought I would share and toss back
and forth with all of you. There has been a lot of talk lately about weeds
and non natives. I want to start by saying that I love native plants like no
other, which is why I CHOOSE to live here in the Sonoran Desert (or whatever
you want to call our habitat). I think the usage of native plants should be
pushed. I think more people should be planting creosote bushes and palo
verdes. Many people remember me from when I worked at nurseries...the freak
that when people came up to him and asked about Lantana, he would turn them
over to a native Senna or Asclepias. I was the only guy who could sell a
Porophyllum gracile. Ok point made? I love native plants. I love even the
little ratty plants nobody else cares about.
I also know there are problems with certain exotics. There certainly need to
be programs to observe and deal with plants that have "escaped" from
wherever (I'll get into this later) and deal with them by gaining some sort
of control over them. And yes we need to monitor the source of these pesty
plants. We need to monitor where they are coming from and keep new additions
from coming along.
BUT,
I am really tired of hearing this terrible backlash against the use of
non-native plants. There is a place in our lives for them. I don't think I
need to emphasize their aesthetic value to our lives. Let's face it. We like
to see new things. We like to get a glimpse of another habitat and the
plants in them. We get to experience, even if just a piece, of
history--remember that plants are intricately woven into the fabric of human
history. Non-native plants remind us that we are not alone in the world.
There is a whole big, big world out there, so big that we could fill our
nurseries with plants from different places in the world, but from similar
climates. In fact there are so many plants we could grow here that even a
freak like me who thrives on finding new stuff could never exhaust sources
and find them all.
So isn't this harming my argument? Isn't having so many plants available
increase our chance of finding a potential weed?
Well consider these few points:
1. Most weeds are not sourced from ornamental horticulture. Buffel grass,
tumbleweed, etc. all these came from human activities but not solely from
ornamental horticulture. In fact, many weeds have made it here and we are
not even sure how. Plants invade naturally. That is what they do. Natural
selection permits the plants that are lucky enough to have the genetics to
overcome certain habitat limitations. Plants which are lucky enough to have
the genetic "permission slips" extend their ranges naturally, sometimes with
our aid and often without. For our own purposes, uses we want to impose on a
land, an aesthetic value we hold on our land, we want these gone. I question
this (if only a little). Who are we to control what happens. Are we ashamed
to say that we are not in total control over our lands? That we are sloppy
and there are plants out there that thrive on that fact? I can admit I am a
sloppy imperfect human being. In all can we say that putting a halt on
ornamental introductions is going to stop this?
2. Just what are the groups of plants that ARE escaping. Poaceae,
Asteraceae, Portulacaceae, Ranunculaceae, Solanaceae, Convolvulaceae...
Well go figure! Who would of thought...
It isn't a surprise that these plants are weeds here because they are all
over the world. They are tough plants almost deserving respect for the
stronghold they've developed (or that luck developed for them). These are
not the plants that people generally want. In fact the plants that people
often want are plants that if one watering is missed they are toast, or
regardless of all you do they are toast because they just aren't cut for the
SW. And I think I am certain enough to say that plants like Eucalyptus are
not going to be a problem here in Arizona. I don't think most plants in
horticulture are going to be any problem and if they become a problem they
are the kind of plants that can be removed and controlled. I think if a
plant DOES pose a problem, like Pennisetum setaceum for instance, then
something should be done ABOUT THAT PLANT! I don't think sweeping over all
non-native plant introductions is appropriate behavior for any bureaucracy.
By the way, Pennisetum setaceum (and not the purple variety) is still sold
by many nurseries. We need to focus our resources on problem plants. This
will also be more effective a method for controlling any plants that are
truly coming from horticulture.
By the way, how the hell did camel thorn ever become a weed here? I never
remember seeing it in horticulture!
3. Are we overlooking the value of non-natives in our lives? I mentioned
before that plants are tied in our common history and the history of other
peoples in the world. Will botanical gardens be the only place this can
continue to occur. The one thing I have always pushed in my sales of plants
and in my studies is the historical importance of plants. I think it is a
crime that we don't know where our plants are from. I think we need to learn
more than just the basic care of a plant! We should know how some of these
plants are almost solely responsible for carrying our peoples into today.
They are our food, our clothing, our shelter, our dreams and gods, our
medicine...need I go on? Why do we forget this? Most people think rubber is
not from a plant! Most people don't know that tonic water was once our only
help against malaria, and that it is from a plant. We don't know this
because nobody teaches us. It would help if we grew the plants we can grow
in this climate and show people: for example this is Ceratonia siliqua. It
is the source of carob, and has been used since the beginning of human
civilization for sweeteners, for food for cattle, horses, pigs, as a food
for diabetics, timber, and that our gold weight (karats, or carats) was
based off of the weight of carob tree seeds. I think that we are needing of
this kind of education and that having the plants to display is crucial. I
grew up loving pl ants. They somehow made it into my life. My parents did
not grow any plants, but the few gardeners in my neighborhood which grew
non-natives, caught my attention. They never even talked to me save through
their gardens. They shared their love with me in their yard which faced the
streets and caught my attention, and changed me forever. This can be argued
to be the only thing that went right in my childhood! But none the less it
did and I am thankful for it.  This is the most important reason we should
watch what kind of rules are being made about what we can grow and what we
can't. There are lots of non-gardener native plant nazis that would like to
see us only use natives. I say how dare anyone make such an imposition on
our lives.
4. Finally I think that the plants that have become a problem are the plants
that were way OVERUSED! salt cedars, Arundo donax, etc. were planted so much
that it is no wonder that they established themselves. I would think that we
would need to introduce even more new plants. This would diversify our
palette and there wouldn't be such monotony that looks ugly anyway. I think
this would decrease the exposure of one species or a few to our environment
which would probably help keep potential problem plants from getting so many
chances to escape.
In all we need to look at the value of non-natives in our lives. There is, I
think, some very important functions of these plants in our lives. I also
think that controlling escaped plants is much more a multilayered problem
that needs a smarter defense strategy. I am seeing as a grower an effect,
worldwide, on those of us who bring these plants to you. We're not
criminals, and were not all ignorant of the potential problems. Maybe trade
organizations like the American Nursery Association should play a role in
screening plants. Or at least someone who knows something about plants who
is representing the lot of us who care about horticulture.
What do you think?
Jared R. Shortman
jared@libcong.com

Tucson Growers
tucgrow@earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~tucgrow
(520) 882-7060
2509 N. Campbell #338
Tucson, AZ 85719
------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Fireraven9 <Fireraven9@aol.com>
To: woodyplants@mallorn.com <woodyplants@mallorn.com>
Date: Wednesday, May 13, 1998 11:20 PM
Subject: Re: Spartium junceum


>Spartium junceum is grow as an ornamental in New Mexico and it does not
reseed
>and spread. It is one of the few shrubs tough enough to survive in this
>climate. I do hope that this shrub "hysteria" is confined to the Pacific
>Northwest. Tumbleweed or Russian thistle is a noxious (introduced) pest in
>most parts of the state .... not much chance of getting rid of it. There
are
>other noxious (introduced... such as Salt Cedar) plants that the state
could
>outlaw. Not much of that (restriction/protection) is happening.  There is a
>ban on selling Mulberry (not native... lots of pollen), Juniper and Cedar
(big
>allergy irritants) in Albuquerque but no one is asked to remove the trees.
>Lee Corbin Fireraven9@aol.com
>7200 feet  Zone 5 & Sunset Z 2
>5+ Acres of Forest & Meadow
>Central New Mexico Mountains
>Ponderosa,Pinion,Juniper,Oak!
>TagiaSemiArid**90DaySeason
>SoilPH-6.8to7-clay,sand,loam&
>limestonewith2to3'freezedepth
>
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