This account, reported in Quandong, vol 24 #4, 1998, is a powerful testament to the root system of this grass. Vetiver grass is heavily promoted by some for erosion control. The author, Criss Juliard in Madagascar, said two men in a 4x4 vehicle got stuck in a ravine. They hooked the winch to a nearby tree and actually uprooted the tree, leaving the vehicle unmoved. They then hooked it to a nearby bridge, and damaged the bridge without freeing the vehicle. As a last resort they wrapped a rope around the base of a large clump of vetiver grass, hooked the cable to the rope and slowly freed the vehicle.
Comments:
Cite as:
ECHO Staff 2000. A Story Involving Vetiver Grass. ECHO Development Notes no. 67