Can someone explain to me what it means if a plant ‘becomes naturalized in warm-temperate climates’?

It refers to Tagasaste, tree lucerne.

I would say it means it has become used to that climate and does well—I stand to be corrected though

Muschee said:

Can someone explain to me what it means if a plant ‘becomes naturalized in warm-temperate climates’? It refers to Tagasaste, tree lucerne.

we have become acclimatised to australia.
the early settlers hated the sun and faced all their house windows to the south and east. now we face north and can tolerate the aussie heat better.
plants do the same sort of acclimatisation over generations.

becoming used to the climate.. is “acclimatised”

I’d suggest that “naturalised” = it has become a weed.

pepe said:

Muschee said:

Can someone explain to me what it means if a plant ‘becomes naturalized in warm-temperate climates’? It refers to Tagasaste, tree lucerne.

we have become acclimatised to australia.
the early settlers hated the sun and faced all their house windows to the south and east. now we face north and can tolerate the aussie heat better.
plants do the same sort of acclimatisation over generations.

Oh ok, so many moons ago this plant may have struggled here….now it thrives..cool :)

I have small seedlings to plant as future composting material.

roughbarked said:

becoming used to the climate.. is “acclimatised”
I’d suggest that “naturalised” = it has become a weed.

are there ‘desirable’ weeds?
tree lucerne provides good stock food, soil replenishment and possibly wind breaks, erosion control.

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

becoming used to the climate.. is “acclimatised”
I’d suggest that “naturalised” = it has become a weed.

are there ‘desirable’ weeds?
tree lucerne provides good stock food, soil replenishment and possibly wind breaks, erosion control.

And it is very pretty when in flower.
I was lead to believe you can feed it to chooks, but mine won’t go near it.
It will make good material to go thru the shredder. We have too much eucalypt here, so need to grow something else for composting. I think this is ideal.

And it is very pretty when in flower. I was lead to believe you can feed it to chooks, but mine won’t go near it. It will make good material to go thru the shredder. We have too much eucalypt here, so need to grow something else for composting. I think this is ideal.
————————

sheep will eat it willingly – as will cattle and goats i believe.
you probably should take some precautions if you are near a state forest (they might see it as a weed!). where its spread might pose a problem its probably best to plant it in rows and mow it more often than you let it go to seed. it gets a bit scraggly looking.

A weed is simply a plant in the wrong place.

Though I’d suggest you should try to use locally native plants, sometimes one may have uses for a plant which may be a weed to others.
The main thing is to control it on your own property and do not be responsible for its spread to nearby properties. This is often an impossible task because all maner of agents will be dispersing seed behind your back.

This plant has escaped into “the wilds”, therefore the distinction = naturalised.

It is useful for the above mentioned uses. It is also true that many other native plants can be used to the same end.

pepe said:

And it is very pretty when in flower. I was lead to believe you can feed it to chooks, but mine won’t go near it. It will make good material to go thru the shredder. We have too much eucalypt here, so need to grow something else for composting. I think this is ideal.
————————

sheep will eat it willingly – as will cattle and goats i believe.
you probably should take some precautions if you are near a state forest (they might see it as a weed!). where its spread might pose a problem its probably best to plant it in rows and mow it more often than you let it go to seed. it gets a bit scraggly looking.

The seedlings I have, were found in our bush block already. There has been 2 rather large plants in one particular area. Went looking for them on Saturday and both have died. But there are plenty of seedlings in that same area and these are the ones I want to move and use.

It’s a weed in some areas.

roughbarked said:

I’d suggest that “naturalised” = it has become a weed.

Or that not only has it become a weed, a plant in the wrong place, but that it now occurs in an area as a weed which is a part of the landscape. Like camphor laurel or blackberry, or native plants moved to other areas which have taken hold in a big way like the East coast species of coastal tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum) which has a wide range of naturalisation.

This excerpt:

“Notes: Coastal tea tree is a tall shrub or small tree to 5m. It is tolerant of salt spray and has been used as a windbreak or hedging plant and for soil erosion control.

It is widely naturalised outside its natural range in north-east NSW and South-east Queensland where it competes effectively with native vegetation. In Western Australia it was introduced after sand mining and has now become naturalised. It has spread rapidly along road verges between Jurien Bay and Albany invading coastal heath and woodlands on sandy and lateritic soils. It has abundant white flowers 15-20 mm across which develop into woody capsules which subsequently open to shed large numbers of seeds.”

from this excellent website:
http://www.weeds.org.au/weedident.htm

yes.. for a translocated species to naturalise.. means that it is now a weed.

Doesn’t matter if it is a non-native weed or if it is a native translocated.. All are equally capable of naturalising and establishing a new range. Which makes them weeds.. not necessarily to all human eyes but definitely to the local environment they have ursurped.

I’m trying to encourage a few weeds here. They may naturalise at will.
Namely pak choy, lettuce, marigolds, asparagus and a few annual herbs.
All weeds can’t be bad surely!

Longy said:

I’m trying to encourage a few weeds here. They may naturalise at will.
Namely pak choy, lettuce, marigolds, asparagus and a few annual herbs.
All weeds can’t be bad surely!

It is an eye of the beholder thing. Many natives appear ugly and weedy to those with little awareness. Thus they get pushed out of the way and a real set of weeds are planted.

Lettuce can indeed be a weed if it rains at the right time.
Parsley is a weed in my footpaths all year around.
Rocket is the same as well as things like Chinese radish.
Marigolds are banned from my space other than tagetes minuta(on the odd occasion to heal soil)
Flanders poppies are allowed due to the memory of my dead relatives.
Chamomile will be coming up like crazy after this rain.

what often gets forgotten is that there is an essential role in the balance of nature for weeds. They are pioneer plants for disturbed areas, anchoring soil and with their short lives returning organic matter to the soil. This paves the way for intermediate and then more permanent plants. It becomes an issue when introduced plants displace the local “weeds”, or become so successful that they prevent the establishment of more permanent plants. Sometimes we need to let weeds do their thing. Peter Andrews in his book “Back from the Brink” touches on this when he describes how he brought impoverished soil back to fertility by letting the weeds do their thing.

bluegreen said:

what often gets forgotten is that there is an essential role in the balance of nature for weeds. They are pioneer plants for disturbed areas, anchoring soil and with their short lives returning organic matter to the soil. This paves the way for intermediate and then more permanent plants. It becomes an issue when introduced plants displace the local “weeds”, or become so successful that they prevent the establishment of more permanent plants. Sometimes we need to let weeds do their thing. Peter Andrews in his book “Back from the Brink” touches on this when he describes how he brought impoverished soil back to fertility by letting the weeds do their thing.

I don’nvironment being at least semi-controlled by one or more humans.

Whereas I doubt it is the same where no human hands or eyes are involved. For survival of the fittest sometimes and more often than not.., will cause introduced plants to be able kill out perfectly fit local natives to take control of the environment, if conditions are amenable at the time.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

what often gets forgotten is that there is an essential role in the balance of nature for weeds. They are pioneer plants for disturbed areas, anchoring soil and with their short lives returning organic matter to the soil. This paves the way for intermediate and then more permanent plants. It becomes an issue when introduced plants displace the local “weeds”, or become so successful that they prevent the establishment of more permanent plants. Sometimes we need to let weeds do their thing. Peter Andrews in his book “Back from the Brink” touches on this when he describes how he brought impoverished soil back to fertility by letting the weeds do their thing.

I don’nvironment being at least semi-controlled by one or more humans.

Whereas I doubt it is the same where no human hands or eyes are involved. For survival of the fittest sometimes and more often than not.., will cause introduced plants to be able kill out perfectly fit local natives to take control of the environment, if conditions are amenable at the time.

it is human intervention that throws the natural order of things out of balance, which is why it becomes an issue when introduced plants displace the local “weeds”, or become so successful that they prevent the establishment of more permanent plants, as I said. However repair of the balance can at times be achieved if weeds are used judicially, rather than just by eradication. Of course the key word is judicial as in some situations eradication may be required, but not necessarily in all situations.

The book “The World Without US” touches on this idea, too. I forget who wrote it, but the premise of the book is to consider what would happen if all humans disappeared from the planet very suddenly.

It talks about the process of the natural world taking cities back, the way the soil would grow and which “weedy” species would be prevalent first, allowing soil to be created and built up.. and then secondary species would move in later.

It was a very interesting book – I think they may have made it into a TV doco at some stage.