Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Saltcedar

Years ago I visited Galveston with a specific purpose in mind, to have fun. My wife on the other hand went that day to find out all she could about the 1900 hurricane that leveled most of the island.

I didn't goof off the entire day, although I did get to see muppet fairy tales while my wife interviewed a historian, I actually learned about a plant that has eluded me for some years now. I probably would have come across it sooner if I had tried harder to look for it, snd by the looks of it no one else has been trying to find it save to destroy it. I'm talking about the saltcedar (tamarix ramosissima).

At one time, a long time ago, Galveston was covered with the stuff and my guess is that's what kept it from blowing away. Now it's considered an invasive weed that dries up streams and salts the land. On Galveston that wouldn't have been a problem since it is pretty much impossible to oversalt the Gulf of Mexico or to dry it up. I don't think I will be planting one any tme in the near future but my curiousity has now been satiated, at least on this topic.

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