#phreatophyte

[biology-geology-beaches-india]

The lower seaward flank of Rushikonda Mountain,Rushikonda Beach,Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, circa  the year 2008. One would think that such utterly dry rubble, talus and scree couldn’t possibly support plant growth, but it does!! and at lush green dumose density!! What was remarkable was the banded - caterpillar-like - form of these twin tight compact clumps with a furrow between them. I am unable to come up with an explanation for both the oblong habitus and the cause of the mysterious furrow between them. These photos were shot using a simple point-and-shoot camera using 35-mm film, yet possess an immediacy and lushness and density of detail that only film can have. The uppermost photo is a close-up of the furrow.

[biology-geology-beaches-india]

Phreatophytes and xerophytes dominate the plant flora on these craggy crevices. One is impressed not just by the ability of these plant species to manage on very little water but also on their thermotolerance. Temperatures on the surfaces of these rocks can skyrocket in Summer to the point that - as I have found to my chagrin - it is impossible to grip them with bare hands when attempting a climb, one being forced to abort the ascent right at the outset.

Moreover as can be seen, some of these plants have but a handful of leaves; loss of any ONE of which to thermal injury would be a serious matter to the plant.

They do not thrive, but they certainly survive!!, a tiny desert rock garden up there, as it were !!

March 1, 2020, Yarada Beach, Andhra Pradesh..

[biology-geology-beaches-india]

Phreatophyte or xerophyte plant growth on the desiccated rock surfaces on the shoreline of Yarada Beach, Visakhapatnam. May 26, 2019.

[environmentguru]

Solar-forced diurnal regulation of cave drip rates via phreatophyte evapotranspiration

Solar-forced diurnal regulation of cave drip rates via phreatophyte evapotranspiration Katie Coleborn, Gabriel C. Rau, Mark O. Cuthbert, Andy Baker, and Owen Navarre Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4439-4455, doi:10.5194/hess-20-4439-2016, 2016 This http://www.environmentguru.com/pages/elements/element.aspx?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr&id=4121315

[environmentguru]

Phreatophytes under stress: transpiration and stomatal conductance of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) in a high-salinity environment

Background and aims: We sought to understand the environmental constraints on an arid-zone riparian phreatophtye, saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima and related species and hybrids), growing over a brackish aquifer along the Colorado River in the western http://dlvr.it/4CZdzk

[environmentguru]

Seeding Xeric Riparian Sites Following Removal of Invasive Phreatophytes.

Following the eradication of invasive phreatophytes on floodplain areas in the Southwest, plant establishment by direct seeding is problematic on many sites because of deep water tables, fine-textured saline soils, aridity, and no flooding potential. http://dlvr.it/47NCf9