Very interesting plant. It came to my attention while writing about the man-made global warming claims that are hyped over and over again by the left. What I was attempting to get at was that water is more important to the Greenhouse Effect than carbon dioxide. Without the oceans, there would be much less of a Greenhouse Effect on Earth. The Earth would resemble the Atacama Desert, with extremes in temperature.
This plant is densely packed in order to retain heat during the cold Atacama Desert nights. It is so dense that a human can stand on top of it and be supported by the densely packed leaves. The density keeps in the warmth, as you might expect.
I'd be interested in growing this plant on da Ranch if I can get some specimens of it. I'd like to grow it around the place in order to walk upon it instead of walking upon the dirt. Why not grass? Good question. This stuff can exist in very dry areas, however. Grass would need more water.
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| Photo taken by Professor Bikey Bike, May 2002, on the slopes of Nevado Coropuna, Peru. |
Update:
An idea is to plant the llareta and grow it about 6 inches tall so that I can walk on it. It will absorb heat, but not radiate it out until night time, thus moderating temperatures.
In addition, it may be possible that this may create a temperature gradient that can be exploited by a windmill. The breeze will flow around it the same way that it would a small lake. A windmill can be setup nearby.
Update:
One more thing before I let this one go. Over 30 years ago, I was visiting my sister and her husband at their new apartment. There was a lake nearby, and the breeze came off the small lake ( or pond ), and that memory has remained with me all this time. The trouble with windmills is that you cannot depend upon them always because the wind doesn't always blow. Hence, the idea that I could force the issue and have wind blow when I wanted it to blow. This may not work the way I envision, but it is a thought. Just sayin'.
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