Plants of the steppe
The steppe is a biome with herbaceous vegetation. The western steppes, which are more humid, are extremely rich in species. In the wet areas formed by melted snow, small trees and shrubs grow, especially poplars and aspens, which sometimes cluster into small woods. Conversely, in eastern steppes the vegetation is poorer and without trees.
Everywhere the vegetation mainly consists of graminaceous plants, herbs that sometimes can be 2 metres tall as in the great Chinese “grass sea”. Some species of pulse vegetables and composites also grow here.
In the south-American steppe lives a very rare and exceptional plant: the Titanca (Puya raimondii), a typical plant of the puna, i.e. the Andean steppe of Peru and Bolivia. It grows 4,000 metres above sea level and reaches 10 metres tall; it looks like a huge pineapple. It blooms and bears fruit only when old, generally when over one hundred years old. Threatened by breeding and farming, it is rarer than it used to be, and in many areas it seems to be actually disappearing.
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From the Multimedia section
Facts
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The loess
A peculiar trait of these soils is that they are easily moved by the wind: the vegetation has shallow roots,that…
By train through the steppe
Number Three, this is the official name of the express train (also called Trans-Mongolian Railway), is the best and most…
Sputnik in the steppe
The steppe was the protagonist of one of the most important events in the history of space explorations. The very…
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Let’s save the baby seals
In Canada, Norway and Greenland, baby seals are killed for their skin and fur, to be sold all over the…
Resin from tree bark
Resin naturally forms underneath the bark of some trees, that are therefore called resinous trees. Resin, that can be easily…
Flour and forest perfumes
Forest produce is also quite valuable and can be picked in any season: berries in summer, mushrooms in autumn and…
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Myths and legends of the forest
The dark and mysterious shadows of the forest are populated by fabulous creatures that have existed in men’s dreams for…
Projects to restock species
The restocking of extinct species is one of the strategies that have been implemented in the attempt to protect and…
From game “preserves” to natural reserves
In the old times, parks were set up as game "preserves" for the exclusive benefit of the upper classes: game…
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17 May 2011
The loess
A peculiar trait of these soils is that they are easily moved by the wind: the vegetation has shallow roots,that…
By train through the steppe
Number Three, this is the official name of the express train (also called Trans-Mongolian Railway), is the best and most…
-
Sputnik in the steppe
The steppe was the protagonist of one of the most important events in the history of space explorations. The very…
Let’s save the baby seals
In Canada, Norway and Greenland, baby seals are killed for their skin and fur, to be sold all over the…
-
Resin from tree bark
Resin naturally forms underneath the bark of some trees, that are therefore called resinous trees. Resin, that can be easily…
Flour and forest perfumes
Forest produce is also quite valuable and can be picked in any season: berries in summer, mushrooms in autumn and…
-
The loess
A peculiar trait of these soils is that they are easily moved by the wind: the vegetation has shallow roots,that…
-
By train through the steppe
Number Three, this is the official name of the express train (also called Trans-Mongolian Railway), is the best and most…
-
Sputnik in the steppe
The steppe was the protagonist of one of the most important events in the history of space explorations. The very…