What is marram grass used for?

What is marram grass used for?

Uses. The roots of marram grass are edible, although rather thin and fibrous. The flowering stems and leaves are used for thatching, basketry and making brooms. Fiber from the stem is used for making paper, and the rhizomes are used for making rope and mats.

Does marram grass grow soil?

This native grass is frequently found around the UK’s coasts and beaches, especially in the south and west. As a coastal plant, it is very tolerant of salt and sea spray, and grows in sand or very free-draining soil. …

What is a marram grass in geography?

marram grass in British English (ˈmærəm ) noun. any of several grasses of the genus Ammophila, esp A. arenaria, that grow on sandy shores and can withstand drying: often planted to stabilize sand dunes. Collins English Dictionary.

Who eats marram grass?

Sometimes humans kill marram grass by driving or walking on it too much and never giving it a chance to grow. Rabbits and sheep may also eat it up. You can see where this happens because the grass has gone and there are patches or paths of bare sand. When this happens the dunes may blow away.

What conditions do Marram grass live in?

Marram grass is a Xerophyte – thriving in arid conditions where most plants would curl up and die. Surviving happily on free-draining sand on windy coasts, the plant does everything it can to prevent unnecessary water loss.

How deep are Marram grass roots?

Marram Grass Factfile Marram roots can grow up to 7cm in 10 days. Marram can survive when buried by 1 metre of sand/year.

Why does zonation exist in a sand dune?

The natural zonation that occurs in sand dune systems means that there is a range of successional stages over a short distance, providing a varied habitat for invertebrates. Calcareous fixed dunes support a greater range of plant species; this floristic richness tends to lead to greater invertebrate diversity.

What does Marram grass look like?

The dense, grey-green tufts of Marram grass are a familiar feature of our coastal sand dunes, its spiky leaves featuring in many games during long summer picnics at the beach. Well-adapted to a harsh life at the coast, its glossy, rolled-up leaves protect it from drying out.; it flowers in July and August.

How deep are marram grass roots?

Why does Marram grass reduce water loss?

Marram grass has a rolled leaf that creates a localized environment of water vapour concentration within the leaf, and helps to prevent water loss. This slowing of air movement once again reduces the amount of water vapour being lost. A waxy cuticle on the leaf surface also prevents evaporation.

What was the purpose of the Marram grass?

Marram grass was once harvested and weaved into mats for barn roofs, nets for fishing and even shoes. Traditionally, each family had its own sand dune, but the whole village would often be involved in collecting the grass.

What makes marram grass good for sand dunes?

The waxy leaves are rolled inwards to prevent evaporation from the surface, while tiny hairs alongside the inside minimise air flow that could carry water away. Marram grass forms the first line of plants on sand dunes.

How can I get rid of marram grass?

Begin control at windward end of infestation, or where native vegetation is best represented. To prevent rhizome movement, control at eroding sites and prevent physical damage of marram at other sites. 1. Dig out (small infestations): dispose of rhizomes at a refuse transfer station.

What makes a marram grass a xerophyte?

Conserving water. Marram grass is a Xerophyte – thriving in arid conditions where most plants would curl up and die. Surviving happily on free-draining sand on windy coasts, the plant does everything it can to prevent unnecessary water loss.