ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS - Brit - Botanical Research ...

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VEGETATION <strong>OF</strong> POST OAK SAVANNAH/INTRODUCTION 123 FIG.72/SEDGE MEADOW IN FLOODPLAIN FOREST <strong>OF</strong> POST OAK SAVANNAH,LICK CREEK PARK,BRAZOS,CO.(PHOTO BY JIM MANHART). may support large specimens of American elm, eastern cottonwood, pecan, sycamore, and in some basins bald-cypress” (Bezanson 2000). One striking feature of some of these forests is the complete absence of a shrub layer; there is a canopy of elm and other tree species and a lush carpet of grasses, sedges (sometimes a near monostand of Carex cherokeensis, Cherokee caric sedge), and herbs. Such areas may be called “sedge meadows” (Fig. 72). A good example occurs in Lick Creek Park in Brazos County. Telfair (1988) also noted that some original bottomlands were open and dominated by large trees, with little underbrush and a park-like appearance. Bezanson (2000) indicated that Sugarberry-elm floodplain forest is a very widespread vegetation type in Texas, occurring in all vegetation zones except the Pineywoods, High Plains, and Trans-Pecos. SANDSTONE OUTCROP COMMUNITIES—A botanically interesting type of community that adds variety to the flora but which is extremely limited in area is that found on rock outcrops (e.g., Oakville sandstone). For example, near Kountze Bayou in Burleson County, an Oakville sandstone outcrop at Old River Ranch hosts Ungnadia speciosa (Mexican buckeye), Celtis laevigata var. reticulata (netleaf hackberry), Diospyros texana (Texas persimmon), and Tinantia anomala (false dayflower), plants more typical of the Edwards Plateau than of the Post Oak Savannah. Spigelia loganioides (Florida pinkroot) is present, though this plant is associated with the South Texas Plains and the Gulf Prairies and Marshes. Other Oakville outcrops include areas northeast of the town of Navasota in Grimes County (Reed et al. 2002) and Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites in Fayette County. The Grimes County localities feature a similar assemblage of woody species, and also have many interesting distributional records—the easternmost occurrence of Lygodesmia texana (Texas skeleton plant) and one of the two known localities of the East Texas endemic Navasota false foxglove (Agalinis navasotensis) (Canne-Hilliker & Dubrule 1993). Also present are herbs such as Lesquerella gracilis (white bladderpod) which
124 INTRODUCTION/CONDITIONS TODAY ON THE POST OAK SAVANNAH are also more typical of the Edwards Plateau. The area around Sugarloaf Mountain, near Gause in eastern Milam County, features Polygonella parksii (Parks’ jointweed), which is more common in the South Texas Plains, and Euphorbia [Chamaesyce] geyeri var. geyeri (Geyer’s euphorbia), which is more common farther west. CONDITIONS TODAY ON THE POST OAK SAVANNAH As indicated earlier, most of the Post Oak Savannah probably bears little resemblance to its presettlement state. It is thought to be much more densely wooded now than it was two hundred years ago. With settlement came the control of fire (fire suppression), which meant that the woody underbrush was allowed to grow up rather than being periodically cleared away (resulting in brush encroachment/thicketization). In addition, fencelines created corridors for trees and shrubs to move into open areas—so much so that long-gone fencelines can be seen on aerial photos as long, thin woodlands only a few trees wide. These in some cases served as seed sources for further encroachment. Common fencerow species include Ilex vomitoria (yaupon), I. decidua (possumhaw), Maclura pomifera (horse apple, bois d’arc), Celtis laevigata (sugarberry), Ulmus alata (winged elm), Prosopis glandulosa (mesquite), Vitis mustangensis (mustang grape), and Rubus trivialis (southern dewberry). It must also be noted that even much of what appears “undisturbed” is often second or third (or fourth, etc.) growth. Large areas of the region were cleared and planted in cotton until the 1920s and 1930s, when cotton production in Texas shifted largely to irrigated areas in the coastal plain and high plains. Now, a large portion of the Post Oak Savannah is maintained as pasture (planted with exotic grasses) or in cultivated acreage of sorghum, soybeans, hay, and cotton. Currently, the few undisturbed open areas relatively free of grazing pressure have a grass flora probably somewhat reflective of presettlement conditions. These areas have Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Andropogon spp. (bluestem), native Bothriochloa spp. (bluestem), Aristida spp. (threeawn), Panicum spp. (especially P. virgatum—switch grass), Dichanthelium spp. (rosette grass), Tridens spp. (tridens, purpletop), Sporobolus spp. (dropseed), Nassella leucotricha (Texas winter grass), Sorghastrum spp. (Indian grass), and Paspalum spp. (paspalum). Native legumes such as Baptisia bracteata (wild indigo) and composites such as Silphium spp. (rosinweed) are common. Along large areas of roadside and where grazing disturbs the native flora, the abovementioned grass taxa are entirely or largely replaced by exotic species including Bothriochloa ischaemum (King Ranch bluestem), Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass), Paspalum notatum (bahia grass), Sorghum halepense (Johnson grass), Avena fatua (oats), Lolium perenne (perennial rye grass), and Bromus catharticus (rescue grass). Adaptable native perennials such as Helianthus annuus (sunflower), Baccharis spp. (groundsel-tree), and Solidago canadensis (common goldenrod) are prominent in the fall. Overgrazed pastures are characterized by such species as Helenium amarum (bitterweed), Solanum elaeagnifolium (silverleaf nightshade), Croton capitatus (woolly croton), and Euphorbia bicolor (snow-on-the-prairie). Such overgrazed areas are obvious at a glance due to the huge populations of these inedible or unpalatable species. In some cases a large field can have literally hundreds of thousands or even millions of individuals of these and other toxic, spiny, or otherwise inedible species. Abusive overgrazing is an excellent example of a situation whereby the abuser of the environment (the individual responsible for the overgrazing) directly pays the price for his damage—the virtually complete loss of the grazing resource.
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ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS
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ALLDREDGE, LINDA & JACK BATTERBAE,
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We would like to recognize and expr
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ISSN 0833-1475 ISBN 1-889878-12-X S
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“DEEP EAST TEXAS IS AN OLD, QUIET
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Elray S. Nixon E lray Nixon was bor
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ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS TAB
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TABLE OFCONTENTS/ PAGE APPENDICES A
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Hymenocallis liriosme
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ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS OVE
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4 INTRODUCTION/GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF E
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10 INTRODUCTION/MAJOR RIVERS OF EAS
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12 INTRODUCTION/PLANTS TREATED The
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14 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO ARRANGEMEN
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16 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO SOURCES OF
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18 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO GEOGRAPHIC
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20 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO ENDANGERED
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22 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO GLOSSARY,
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24 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO ABBREVIATI
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26 INTRODUCTION/SUMMARY DATA ON FLO
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28 INTRODUCTION/ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Kar
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30 INTRODUCTION/AUTHORS’ NOTE Pre
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32 INTRODUCTION/GENERAL GEOLOGY OF
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46 INTRODUCTION/SOILS SOIL ORDER DE
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48 INTRODUCTION/SOILS, EAST TEXAS B
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50 INTRODUCTION/SOIL-RELATED GEOLOG
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60 INTRODUCTION/SOILS OF BLACKLAND
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66 INTRODUCTION/CLIMATE OF EAST TEX
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Page 95 and 96: 78 INTRODUCTION/GEOLOGY OF PINEYWOO
Page 97 and 98: 80 INTRODUCTION/PRESETTLEMENT, EARL
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Page 107 and 108: 90 INTRODUCTION/CURRENT VEGETATION
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Page 127 and 128: 110 INTRODUCTION/GEOLOGY AND SOILS
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Page 133 and 134: 116 INTRODUCTION/ PRESETTLEMENT, EA
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Page 147 and 148: 130 INTRODUCTION/BLACKLAND PRAIRIE
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174 INTRODUCTION/PRESETTLEMENT AND
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184 INTRODUCTION/HISTORY OF BIG THI
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190 INTRODUCTION/CONSERVATION IN BI
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200 INTRODUCTION/ORIGIN AND DIVERSI
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228 INTRODUCTION/CONSERVATION IN EA
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234 INTRODUCTION/HISTORY OF BOTANY
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244 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY IN NORTH CE
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246 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY IN NORTH CE
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248 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY AT UNIVERSI
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250 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY AT TEXAS A&
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252 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY AT TEXAS A&
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254 INTRODUCTION/OTHER CONTRIBUTION
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256 INTRODUCTION/CURRENT BOTANICAL
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258 INTRODUCTION/BOTANICAL ART IN E
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