Aim: To help students develop a personal understanding of weed terminology.
Use a computer word processing or spreadsheet package to develop a glossary of words relating to weeds. Keep updating the glossary file.
Make a printout of the updated file and display in a prominent location in the class for reference.
Some Useful Weed Terminology to Get You Started
Weed – a plant that grows in the wrong place
Environmental weed – a plant that invades and negatively affects natural areas
Agricultural weed – a plant that affects farming
Species – a group of similar animals or plants that interbreed naturally
Community – a group of animals and plants that live and interact in a given area, e.g. coastal community
Ecosystem – the interaction of communities and the physical environment
Biodiversity – the variety of plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms on Earth
Habitat – the area in which an organism lives because it contains all the resources it needs to survive
Australian native plant – a plant that occurs naturally in any area of Australia
Indigenous plant – a plant that occurs naturally in a given local area
Introduced plant – a plant that occurs outside its ‘natural’ range (what is natural may depend on cultural preferences too!)