h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Stipa Tenacissima (Esparto Grass) - A87858472
Author: Mag - U15001392

Hi, This need a bit of polishing.
As I said in the Writing Workshop, this is my first entry after 8 years! I hope to write more.


I´d like this entry could help fight desertification, which is soaring because of climate change.

Hello Mag This is a very interesting entry
The guide allows place footnotes in ML programming, for example instead of writing

"A Neolithic grave-good with many esparto items was found at the Cueva de los Murciélagos(Cave of Bats)1 , in the south of Spain."

And putting your footnote in a list at the end.

"1.In the cave were found many objects made entirely out of esparto: sandals, dresses, baskets... They were made using different knitting techniques."

Just amend your text slightly as the example below.

A Neolithic grave-good with many esparto items was found at the Cueva de los Murciélagos(Cave of Bats).In the Cave of Bats were found many objects made entirely out of esparto: sandals, dresses, baskets... They were made using different knitting techniques., in the south of Spain.

Hope that helps

excellent first entry

Or perhaps


A Neolithic grave-good with many esparto items was found at the Cueva de los Murciélagos(Cave of Bats).In the Cave of Bats were found many objects made entirely out of esparto: sandals, dresses, baskets... They were made using different knitting techniques., in the south of Spain.

Gracias Bob, I´ll try that.

I´m quite ... don´t know, quite clumsy . Ive had to change to plain text and even delete the entry in a few occasions because sometimes a paragraph didn´t appear, or a red note said "illegal use of Lambast signal" ( At the end, in the last line, it is missing , I´ll write and, unless someone can fix it for me.)

I also want the title changed:
Esparto Grass (Stipa Tenacissima). The scientific name should go in italics.

Also I´d like to add something to the title, not just the name of the plant. But still don´t know what.


There´s a desertic air blowing in Peer Review... where are the folks?

Its always quiet in the summer months don't worry you will get feed back soon

I will get back to you about the other points

Gracias. I´ve been messing and have made it disappear

No problem, since I have a copy... I´ll try to mend it.

Oh, and the illegal use is of the ampersand.

? ?

A link of interest

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/7813923/The-worlds-oldest-shoe-dating-back-5500-years-has-been-discovered.html

The findings in the Cave of Bats are dated a bit earlier.

I wonder what fibers were used in the rest of Europe, say Scotland or Germany, during the Neolithic. Maybe hemp or linen.

fixing the title

The word esparto comes from Greek, in Latin is espartum. It means grass I believe its a point that needs noting

Stipa Tenacissima = Tough gress I like simple names

A most interesting subject.

I would personally prefer you move the section on the plant ahead of the 'habitat' section, as I was not familiar with the plant itself.

When you say;
'The esparto is exclusive of the western Mediterranean. It grows wild as well as cultivated along the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and the Magreb (North of Africa).'

You are telling me that it can not be grown anywhere else in the world, even places with a similar climate. Is that what you meant, or should it read it only occurs naturally...?

Do not get overly involved with 'Guide ML' or footnotes as they can easily be sorted by the Sub-Editor.

Thank you for contributing

F S

NB: Original Writing Workshop conversation can be found here: F22146115?thread=8314246

<BB<

Thanks Florida Sailor. I´ve made that change.
In that paragraph is mentioned the land restoration in semi-arid environments,and in the next , in habitat I´ve added that the plant is mostly distributed, not exclusive.
As it is also mentioned the kind of soil and climate it needs, I think it´s clear now that the plant can grow in other areas , not just the Mediterranean.

I´ve also added something I´ve just found. It´s about its industrial uses. Another reason to grow this plant.

by industrial I mean chemical, more complex uses.

Are the soles of the espadrillos made of this grass? I remember there was a shop near (or under) the plaza mayor in Madrid, where you can buy sandals and espadrilles with soles made of some sort of grass. Is it this one?

Anyhow. What I missed most was a sentence right at the beginning - It took a while for me non-botanist to get it. Esparto grass (Stipa Tenacissima) could have been a band name, or a movie name, or a song, for all I know... A sentence right in the beginning, like: "Esparto Grass (Stipa Tenacissima) is a plant, a type of grass, a distant (or not so distant) relative of the lawn grass." would have helped me.

Do animals eat that grass?

Cheerio,

Exu

you mean the esparteñas? espadrilles is the name they have in the area where most of them are made, Murcia, Alicante or Valencia.

something like this:
http://www.catalogomoda.com/fotos/esparte%C3%B1as-sin-cinta-foto-144589.jpg

The uses are endless, here blinds: http://img.loquenosabias.com/decoracion/2011/07/05/las-persianas-de-esparto-para.jpg


" It took a while for me non-botanist to get it."

Under the heading of the plant of esparto I´ve linked a picture of the plant, I expect it will be used to illustrate the entry ( in case it´s accepted)

"Do animals eat that grass?"

no, only ants or birds eat the seeds.

?

I absolutely agree with Dr Exu that this Entry needs a better beginning. It's very sudden, even if there is a picture. People should not have to look at the picture to know what your Entry actally is about.

'The leaves of the esparto are needle shaped and in a wet environment they keep open, and closed when there is a low level of moisture.'
I can't quite imagine how leaves open and close.

Concearning the picture I also have to tell you that we can't just pick one from somewhere on the web, we always Need an explicite permission by the photographer or artist to use their picture. The best Version for us would be if you make a picture yourself.

"People should not have to look at the picture to know what your Entry actally is about."

In the first line, it can be read " is a Mediterranean plant"

I´d love any suggestion.

"I can't quite imagine how leaves open and close."

Many plants do that as a response to their environment.

A known example is the Mimosa pudica. The leaves fold when touched or when ther´s too much sun. They also fold at night.

I have a kind of succulenta at home that a friend gave me this summer, it was brownish and the leaves were rolled like a cigarrette. When I changed the pot, added water...the plant leaves streched and changed to green.


One of my brothers live in an area with lots of esparto, I´ll ask him to send me a picture.

thanks

Hmmm... maybe just move a few bits like this something like this:

Esparto Grass is a Mediterranean plant which has been used to make all kinds of objects since prehistoric times. The first vegetable fiber remains associated to human activity in the Iberian Peninsula are those of the plant of esparto. A Neolithic grave-good was found at the Cueva de los Murciélagos (Cave of Bats)1 , in the south of Spain.

The reason for its usefulness is hinted on in ist scientific Name 'Stipa Tenacissima': the adjective tenacissima, `very resistent´ in Latin, tells us one of the main characteristics of this plant.
The word 'esparto' comes from Greek, in Latin is espartum...
go on as before

This is just a suggestion, you can dismiss it or reword it in any way you like.

Thanks for the explaination.

Would be great if your brother could get a picture!