Defining a weed

1. Defining a weed Manuel Reyes

2. What is a weed? • A weed is a plant that has no use in a certain area • Also applies to trees and bushes • Four categories that make a plant, bush, or tree a weed

3. Plants as obstacles • Any plant, tree, or bush that are obstacles to the development of desired vegetation, construction of a project, etc. in a certain area of land are referred as weeds • Stated by SigurHakansson, ” Weeds are those plants of the species that occur in situations where they are unwanted”

4. Septic and non-septic Plants • Plants that are known to cause harm to animals, especially to people, are considered to be weeds • Likewise plants that are non-septic that causes hindrance to the growth of the desired vegetation are weeds

5. Invasive plant species • Any plants that invade ecosystems of other plants are referred to being weeds because of the quick dominance they get • This is true because of certain societies that wish to protect the native ecosystems from becoming extinct

6. Lack of acceptance • Native plants are also referred to weeds because of the lack of acceptance they have from society • Clearly depicted in Laura Cunningham’s narration • Can as well be other plants that lack acceptance “”You ought to cut those weeds down!” someone snarled, walking along the sidewalk. I stood in my sister Margot’s yard in an urban Richmond neighborhood, delighting in the native plants she had cultivated over the years: …”

7. A weed • Weeds tend to be plants that fit any of the four categories shown before • These categories show that plants, trees, or bushes that have no use in a particular area are referred to being a weed • Ultimately the groups of society are the ones that define what a weed is

8. Weeds: A Matter of Perspective Ozair Ilyas Writing 01 Professor Kahlert November 29 2012

9. What are weeds? • When you think of weeds… • Invasive • Undesirable • Unattractive • Foreign • Nearly Invincible

10. Definition Definition of a weed according to the Merriam Webster dictionary Weed- “a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially : one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants”1 My definition Weed- any foreign plant that people find undesirable, spreads rapidly, and can survive extreme conditions.

11. Perspective • As the great Homer Simpson stated, “There's nothing wrong with crabgrass. It just has a bad name, that’s all. Everyone would love it if it had a cute name like, eh, `elf grass’.” • Location • For a plant to be a weed it must be in an area where it is not native and not wanted. A weed to someone might be useful or a source of food to another animal. While it may be foreign here, somewhere it is a native.

12. What do you think? • How would you define a weed?

13. References • "WeedAbout Our Definitions: All Forms of a Word (noun, Verb, Etc.) Are Now Displayed on One Page." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2012http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weed.

14. Malas Hierbas By: Arturo Velasco

15. Weed Vs Plant • By many weeds are perceived the same way rodents are, simply pests. • A pest defined by dictionary.reference.com as an annoying person, animal or thing. (weeds in this case) • Plants on the other hand are liked for their beauty, source of food, medicinal qualities and or landscaping purposes. • Plants have uses, weeds don't! Or do they?

16. Plants?Weeds? Which is which...

17. Something to think about What is a weed to one can be a plant to another; So a weed is a plant and a plant is a weed? The correlation between a plant and a weed is that there is no correlation, term wise that is, yet you can so easily interchange the terms to a point where one's own perspective only matters. Afterall weeds and plants both have plant cells. So like humans we are all different individually yet we all belong to the same species.

18. Weeds Negative Effect on Surroundings Land-Weeds need little soil, light, and water to grow. Meaning they can grow almost anywhere causing a havoc where unwanted since they can multiply quickly. Native Plants- Can get overpowered by weeds, causing destroyed crops Livestock- Weeds have been the cause for miscarriage, birth defects, sickness and even death. So maybe just for the sake of simplicity we can categorize a weed as a plant who has destructive properties on its surrounding regardless of it being native or non-native.

19. Resources • www.dictionary.reference.com • www.island-horticultural-services.blogspot.com • www.CQreasearcher.com • www.google.com/images • www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/noxious%20weeds.htm

20. Fin

21. Weed’s positive effect on people Edward Lopez Montes Writing 1 Dr. Shirley Kahlert CSE Major

22. Background • Although many plants are considered weeds because they are unwanted; people still benefit from weeds in many ways.

23. Edible Weeds • Many weeds are used for eating such as: • Cornflower-used for decorating salads. • Burdock-its roots are edible

24. Medicine Use • Weeds have been used in the medicine field for a long time.

25. Cannabis • Usually known as marijuana. • Cannabis can treat a lot of diseases such as: • Cancer- it can slow down the growth of the tumor. • Seizures- by relaxing the muscles. • Alzheimer's- by blocking the deposits in the brain that cause the disease.

26. Questions?

27. Weeds Negative Effects On People John Swartz Chemistry Major Writing 001 Shirley Kahlert

28. Toxins • Most weeds can contain toxins who's damage can range from a simple rash to death

29. Yards and Farms • Weeds can harm plants like crops and other plants in yards.

30. Any Questions?

31. How to clean away weeds&What can weeds do to people Yi Wang Dr. Shirley Kahlert English Writing-1

32. Three ways to clean away weeds • Decrease the quantity of foreign weed seeds • Physical weeding • Chemical weed control

33. Role of weeds • Medicine • Food • Animal Feed • Good view

34. Weeds' character in literature • "No prairie fire can destroy the weed, it shoots up again with the spring breeze blows."