Author Archives: peter rooney

About peter rooney

University of Reading, M. Sc. Plant Diversity, 2012-2013

Dracaenaceae: Dragon’s Blood and the language of the birds …

Dracaenaceae Salisb., Gen. Pl: 73 (1866), nom. cons. The family Dracaenaceae has a complex, fascinating history, of great interest will be to see how it unfolds.  It is the family of Dragon Trees, of one, two or three genera and … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Americas, Asia, Australia, Countries, Species | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

 Cyperus papyrus L., post 2 of 2, taxonomy and distribution

Cyperus papyrus is a tall and graceful plant.  It looks stunning in the Tropical Greenhouse with a tropical blue sky behind it, which, even in October, Reading obligingly provided, to prove the point.  It’s up to 5m tall, with almost globular … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Crops, Madagascar, Pond, Species, Students, Water Plants | 1 Comment

Cyperus papyrus L., post 1 of 2, value and uses

The one thing that most people know about this plant is that it was the source of paper for  ancient Egyptians.  They started to use it for writing on circa 5000 years ago, and carried on up until the 8th or … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Countries, Crops, Madagascar, Pond, Species, Water Plants | 4 Comments