Tuesday, November 2, 2010

The Love Grass: for the Hot, Loud and Proud

We are very familiar with this plant because it is an obnoxious weed. Its habit is clinging to any part of your clothing whenever you come in contact to it. That is its way of plant spread because it doesn't have wings as propagule for the wind to carry it. It can be carried by strong winds though not very far, clinging assures of far and easy transport to distant places.

We call it 'amorseko' or 'amorseco'. I just discovered its English common name as love grass now, when i looked for its scientific name, which is also eluding because there are so many. I chose Chrysopogon aciculatus from among them, not as an educated choice but because it sounds like so! Please pardon my laziness, it is not a habit but enduced by lack of time. Maybe it is called love grass because it clings! It just doesn't sound proper though.

I am posting it in this meme because it stands tall as proud as it can! It might also be so because its location where i photographed it is on top of a mountain, overlooking the sea, towering above the inhabited parts. What else can you be, but be proud! And of course its clinging habit makes it hot, and i would like to warn you that your skin under the cloth it clings feel so itchy and hot, as in 'HOT', that you get irked and immediately feel removing clothes and disposed them off. In my case, i diligently removed each clinging part and disposed them to the fire, for good! The end of its tribe!



Look at them looking tall and proud, against the backdrop of green and yellow vegetation, plus the blue sea at the background.


It surely is invasive and constant grazing doesn't limit its spread on top of this mountain, which is fully conquered by it.
 

This is Gulugod Baboy or 'Pig's Spine', as direct translation, which i posted earlier this year if you remember. It's almost zero visibility in the current mornings, and very cold. The fog left only at 9:00 am when the sun is already high up.

I didn't have the inkling that it is full of Amorseco during the rainy season. We were so happy to compare the view differences with dry season except for this grass. My jogging pants were full of its propagules, but the amorseco certainly made this climb more memorable.

For other Hot, Loud and Proud posts please visit:
http://aplantfanatic.blogspot.com/

31 comments:

  1. My class teacher taught me about love grass in primary school. The sight of this grass always brings back a lot of memories for me, eg. my childhood playing and getting these grases stuck on our pants and clothes. If grandna or mom sees this she will know that we kids went to the forbidden lake/pond/grassland to play, hehehe!

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  2. Oh yeah, who is the person with the wide stretched arms in the photo?

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  3. Andrea,

    Enjoyed the hilltop photo it is awesome. The grazing animals at least like the grass.

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  4. I've never given the love grass any thought of importance but your post and your images has changed that!! Your pictures are beautiful and the mountain views, more so. I can only remember being irritated as I had to remove hundreds of them from my clothes!!The more i read blog posts, i realize everything is blog worthy and that there's beauty in every little weed! Thanks for a lovely post!

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  5. What beautiful photos, Andrea! I really like that second one especially. Well done! :-)

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  6. HI Aaron - congratulations again for your doing good in that contest! Now you can again blog. About the amorseco, yes annoying and itchy, but definitely tranquil and relaxing.

    Autumn Belle - we have that experience too, so we made sure that all the remnants of amorseco be fully thrown before going home, to be sure we checked each others backs, hahaha!

    That widestretched arms belong to my constant climbing travel buddy and companion to wild areas, Allen, my 12 year-old nephew! He doesn't want to climb again but i coerced him and promised something in return. He got so impatient waiting for me take pictures.

    Hi Randy - thanks for visiting. Yes the cattle feed solely on them, and they are thin, hehe! The lower part of the mountain is planted to Napier grass which definitely is more nutritious than amorseco.

    Kanak - thanks for your very lovely comment. I think everything's worth is just always a matter of perspective. Isn't it?

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  7. Nice shots Andrea! Glad you posted grass. Although they are weed but they really a useful plant. They reduce erosion.

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  8. Andrea, Your photos are absolutely stunning. I love them all. They are very artistic, something one can admire again and again. You could have them framed up. :) The weeds look beautiful through your eyes.

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  9. Your statement of warning "I would like to warn you that your skin under the cloth it clings feel so itchy and hot, as in 'HOT', that you get irked and immediately feel removing clothes and disposed them off" reminds me of the time I sat on a colony of red ants. Oh my! I couldn't wait to remove my clothes and brush off all those ants!

    Your pictures are all nice. I especially like the picture of the love grass and ocean.

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  10. Oh, those photos are beautiful! LOVE the golds and greens and blues together, and the lighting is so ethereal. We have a native here that we call Lovegrass, though it's probably a different genus than yours.

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  11. aloha andrea,

    that hillside is beautiful, it can almost be hawaii too even with the grass...those and any grasses are extremely invasive here, but do look gorgeous from a distance :)

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  12. Daisy - thanks for the appreciation, i am grateful for that!

    Stephanie- you said it very well, these grasses reduce erosion!

    One - thank you so much, we are with the Mutual Admiration Society, hehe! But i might succumb to your suggestion, yes it can be framed. thank you!

    Linda - hahaha, i have been thru that ordeal also with red ants, and with wasps also. But compared to those, the love grass itch is definitely milder, and i can go thru this again and again but not once with those ants! Thanks for appreciating my photo. I wish you should give me some critiques.

    FG - "ethereal lighting" for my photos is such a lovely description. Thank you very much.

    Noel - yes, a tip of that area can be somewhat like Diamond Head in Hawaii, haha! I agree with you, they are nice to see at a distance, but very invasive and difficult to control in domestic areas.

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  13. Love your post, Andrea.... The "Love Grass" may be just weeds or grass ---but you have made it into something very very special... Love your photos.... Beautiful pictures!!!
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  14. Hi Andrea, It's me again. Just wanted you to know that my earlier comments were genuine. :) Also I just realized that our latest posts are about Love. We could have linked them. It's always fun linking. Didn't occur to me earlier. Another time.

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  15. Never thought of a love grass until you mentioned it here.
    I guess these are slowly dissapearing in the city areas as they are being replaced with a concrete jungle.
    I remember collecting these flowers and arrange them as dry flowers when I was a young boy.

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  16. Wow! Gorgeous photography Andrea! Lovely landscapes and water. ;>)

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  17. The views of the ocean are amazing! Is this grass native or introduced?

    I love the second and third shots too, with the deep rust color of the seed heads constrasting with the gold fields and blue sky.

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  18. Thank you for your comment om my blog!
    You is wright, the blog is written in Swedish, but the post is about a garden i Germany just outside Berlin.
    Thank you for the warning about the grass. Fantastic photos! And the grass too is beautiful, despite its habits! ;-)
    Have a nice day!
    /Ruben

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  19. hi andrea, its my pleasure to meet you here and see your great photos, great job! i used to visit every 2 months, sometimes monthly if i am here last 2008 and 2009 but this year was different, been back home twice...our kids is now with us, different school year, different holidays...hard to adjust with schedules now! yup, lucky its near but still expensive for us to travel in four + 1 (sometimes) (pnh-bkk-mnl/2), wish we have more to do it often! lolz. have a great wednesday! will ad your link to mine! :)

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  20. I think these photos are amazing..and beautiful!!

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  21. Thank you for the visit to my nature blog. I have a very small meme called Nature Notes that I would invite you to participate in if you wish. I don't have this week's post up yet, but here is last week's post...Michelle


    Visit the Nature Notes Thursday Meme

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  22. Beautiful soft images. Is that you on the mountain top, arms stretched wide?

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  23. A really unusual and interesting post, Andrea. Your photos are so colourful, too. I wonder if you have a species of plant called Goose Grass? This leaves small green burrs that stick to clothes.

    I agree with your sentiment on perspective ... though there are a few things (harmful bacteria?) I would find hard to enjoy!

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  24. It's very pretty. Too bad it's also invasive!

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  25. Betsy - hello, it is heartwarming when people like you who take very good photos appreciates some of mine. If only we have fall/autumn, i think i will be getting colorful and beautiful photos too!

    James - they are still there, i've seen them in KL and Putrajaya!

    Caro - thank you for your visit and comment.

    Sweetbay - i am not sure yet if it is introduced or endemic, that summons me to research on it, thanks for the reminder!

    Ruben - hi, this is your first visit here, i hope you will come again more often. Your name is commonly used also here. thanks.

    Cheerful - i wish you a very happy life in Phnom Penh. Merry Christmas.

    Kiki - may the beloved Mighty I AM Presence be fully blessing and inspiring you all the time.

    Michelle or ramblingwoods - thanks for the invitation, i will surely participate with that in the future, i have included you in my links.

    Jennifer - the outstretched arms is Allen's, my 12-yr old nephew who is my constant buddy to the wild and unusual places. I hope you will drop by again sometime.

    Caroline - we have some species whose propagules also attach to clothes and somehow more itchy than amorseco, however i still don't know what they are called. I will research on them and will post here in the future. thanks for your question prompting me to learn more.

    About the matter of perspective, many bacteria are directly useful for us, many are directly harmful, but in another perspective they are also useful for fast decomposition. It is still survival of the fittest and perspective. I think it is the minutest organisms which will be our ultimate enemies! I hope not, though.

    EG Wow - it is invasive but easily controlled if intelligently done. In erosion prone areas they are very useful, as Stephanie suggested above. thanks for you dropping by.

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  26. Well, in its setting on the mountain, overlooking the ocean, love grass is magnificent! (Maybe it's called love grass because you have to get naked when exposed to it!) Beautiful photos!

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  27. wow, but it sure is pretty! Perfect post for hot loud and proud!

    Your photos are absolutely gorgeous. What a beautiful landscape.

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  28. Andrea, nice to meet you! Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your nice comments! I'm smitten too. This grass may be a weed but it is beautiful captured through your lens! Do you mind if I add your blog to my blogroll? ~Cat

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  29. Deb - sorry for replying a bit late, but i thank you for your appreciation.

    Wendy - i am delighted you also drop by once-in-a while here, thanks for your beautiful comments.

    Cat, the Whimsical Gardener - i am sorry i did not reply about your question when i commented on your site, but sure you can always put a link to mine. It is my pleasure, and you are much welcome. thank you.

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  30. amorseco seeds are round and covered with burrs... nice pics though!

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  31. Great pics, my friend! And what a fitting name for this annoying plant! Nevertheless, just like the dandelion w/c is a gardener's nightmare, but a photographer's delight, this 'love plant' can certainly fit in to this genre, as your awesome pics of this subject are definitely perfect testimonial to its lure and 'fatal' (yet itchy) attraction.

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Your comments inspire me to post more, and our conversations make life and gardening more meaningful.

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