Interspecific Hybrid

This is a cross between plants from two species (within the same genus), for example, Spartina alterniflora and Spartina maritima = Spartina x townsendii (Townsend's Cord-Grass), which is a sterile hybrid.

  Invasive Species

These are non-native species which are harmful and detrimental to the area they occur in. Human activity has increased the rate at which invasive species are brought into a country or area and the speed of spread once they have arrived. These species can significantly alter the native ecosystem, reducing biodiversity and often having a negative economic impact on built environments. Japanese knotweed is arguably the most infamous invasive weed in the country. In 2015 there were an estimated 2,000 invasive non-native species in Great Britain. (‘The Great Britain Invasive Non-native Species

Continue reading about this

  Invertebrate

An animal that does not have a backbone, which is known as a vertebrae. Insects, nematodes and earthworms fall within this category.

  Ion [1]

An atom or molecule with an electrical charge. A positively charged ion is called a cation; whilst a negatively charged ion is called an anion.

  Keel

A distinct main central rib on the underside of a grass leaf, from which each side of a leaf towards the tip will curve upwards to have a boat shaped appearance, similar to the bow (front) of a ship. This is typical in annual meadow grass and is a good characteristic to aid identification.

  Kingdom

A taxonomic category that is used to group organisms. They are grouped from similar Divisions or Phyla. In some classification systems this is the highest-ranking hierarchical group. The use of higher-level Domains, or Super Kingdoms, may also be identified in some systems.

  Krantz Anatomy

An arrangement of two rings of cells which surround a vascular bundle in a C4 plant. The inner ring is called the bundle sheath cells, which are parenchyma cells and have many chloroplasts (without grana) whilst the outer ring are mesophyll cells which have fewer chloroplasts. (but with grana).

  Lamina

A flat part of a plant, typically a leaf, which is often the main photosynthetic region of a plant.

  Lime

A general term for materials which contain calcium. The main material used for applying to soil and turf situations where soil pH is to be made less acidic is ground limestone (which is also called chalk), with the main chemical composition being calcium carbonate. The disadvantage of using lime materials on turfgrass surfaces, is that it can encourage a less hard-wearing surface, which is prone to invasion by coarser grasses and weeds, as well as increasing the potential for disease attack.

  Liming

The application of a lime-based product to a turf or soil surface.