Spain has undergone a period of uncontrolled urban expansion in a relatively short time-span, affecting people's quality of life in negative ways with significant impacts on the environment and land resources such as water and energy. Many new residential areas have low-density development, based on single-family houses with private gardens. These gardens are usually relatively small in size, but when considered as a whole, they make a substantial contribution to urban green spaces and have an important impact on the local environment. Although this includes a large variety of benefits, gardens demand a significant quantity of resources, including irrigation water, which is also important and should be taken into account. This paper analyzes features and management practices in domestic gardens, their relationships to garden design, and the attitudes of owners with regard to more sustainable alternatives. In addition, the main features of private gardens are examined. For this study, in-person interviews were conducted with homeowners who possess domestic gardens in the region of Aljarafe in southern Spain. The features of the gardens surveyed proved to be highly variable and related to several factors, such as the area of the gardens. Results seem to indicate that owners are reluctant to implement measures to lower water consumption in garden irrigation, apparently because of a lack of knowledge regarding more sustainable design alternatives. Homeowners who had prior knowledge of the principles of xeriscaping were significantly more open to applying these principles in practical ways.
Microscopic descriptions of the wood of the six species of Colombian Podocarpaceae were made. The studied species belong to the genera Podocarpus, Prumnopitys and Retrophyllum. Trees were selected from natural forests of the Andean region of central-west Colombia. From each tree, the basal portion of the trunk was collected and the anatomical characteristics of the wood were studied in microtome sections and macerated preparations. In general, there was remarkable uniformity in the characteristics of the six species, although some differences in quantitative traits were found. All of the species were characterized by the absence of axial and radial resin canals, predominantly uniseriate pits on the radial walls of the axial tracheids and the presence of pits on the tangential walls of the axial tracheids. The rays were composed solely of parenchyma cells, with end and horizontal walls smooth, uniseriate and occasionally biseriate, and with height from very low (up to four cells) to medium (5-15 cells). The cross-field pits were cupressoid in all species. Diffuse axial parenchyma with smooth transverse walls were present in five species, but absent in Prumnopitys harmsiana. The principal quantitative differences were found in axial tracheid length, pit size, number of pits per cross-field, ray height and axial parenchyma abundance.
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