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

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PRESETTLEMENT AND EARLY SETTLEMENT CONDITIONS ON BLACKLAND PRAIRIE/INTRODUCTION 137 (Collins & Gibson 1990). Roemer (1849), who traveled across part of the presettlement prairie, wrote of a prairie fire near Torrey’s Trading Post close to present-day Waco at the western edge of the Blackland Prairie, as follows: …we, ourselves, were entertained before going to sleep by the spectacle of a prairie fire. Like a sparkling diamond necklace, the strip of flame, a mile long, raced along over hill and dale, now moving slowly, now faster, now flickering brightly, now growing dim. We could the more enjoy this spectacle undisturbed, since the direction of the wind kept it from approaching us. My companion was of the opinion that Indians had without doubt started the fire, since they do this often to drive the game in a certain direction, and also to expedite the growth of the grass by burning off the dry grass. Such tall grass prairie fires, intensely hot, would have been stopped only by a lack of dry fuel or a change in topography. Even stream bank vegetation was susceptible during dry years. The end result was that trees were rare even along some stream banks, and prairie margins probably extended somewhat beyond the limits of the soil types usually associated with prairie (Hayward & Yelderman 1991). Lightning was probably one important source of fires during presettlement times—based on extensive studies, Komarek (1965, 1966, 1968) concluded that lightning-caused fires were quite common and would have been frequent enough to maintain many fire-dependent plant communities. In the words of Komarek (1966), “The extent and frequency of lightning fires in the Great Plains was such as to be hardly conceivable.” While lightning was undoubtedly an important source of naturally started fires, Native Americans were long present in the region and their use of fire is considered by some to be equally important in having maintained North American grasslands (Cronin 1983; Bragg 1995). In summary, fire was probably critical in the formation and maintenance of the presettlement Blackland Prairie. From present-day observations, it is obvious that in the absence of fire, the Blackland Prairie is capable of supporting abundant woody plant growth—in fact, many areas of the Blackland Prairie currently are covered by dense thickets of such species as eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia), and mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), and prairie remnants have to be actively managed to prevent brush encroachment. However, in combination with climatic factors and the presence of ignition sources (lightning, Native Americans), the rich clay soils and resulting lush growth of grasses may have resulted in conditions favoring frequent fire and thus fire-adapted prairie vegetation on the Blacklands of Texas (see page 111 for a discussion of the soildependent fire frequency hypothesis). PRESETTLEMENT ANIMAL LIFE—Present animal life is much less diverse and some species are greatly reduced in number compared to presettlement days or have been eliminated. Gideon Lincecum in 1835 (Lincecum & Phillips 1994) said of an area in the southern Blackland Prairie, That was the most plentiful place [for game] I have ever found in any country. There were buffalo, bear, deer, turkeys, grouse, jack rabbits, fish, and (during the winter and until the first of April) the wild geese and many species of duck, in countless thousands. I haven’t the least doubt, after I had made myself acquainted with the ways and haunts of game, that I could have procured a bountiful supply of meats to feed twenty men, and I would have used nothing but my rifle and fishing tackle. In addition to relatively large present-day species such as the white-tailed deer, coyote, fox, and bobcat, a number of other large or interesting species occurred. According to Brooke (1848) writing of Grayson County, black bears were quite common (“I…have never tasted
138 INTRODUCTION/PRESETTLEMENT AND EARLY SETTLEMENT CONDITIONS ON BLACKLAND PRAIRIE FIG.79/FRONTISPIECE FROM GEORGE W. KENDALL’S (1845) NARRATIVE OF AN EXPEDITION ACROSS THE GREAT SOUTHWESTERN PRAIRIES FROM TEXAS TO SANTA FE, DEPICTING A SCENE OF THE SLAUGHTER OF BISON.KENDALL DESCRIBED IN DETAIL A BISON HUNT FROM THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE. any meat I like better.”) as were deer; panthers [mountain lions] and wolves were also present. In Brooke’s (1848) words, “I have been out a-shooting Deer and Turkeys alone, and when going up the branches of the Rivers I often come across either bear or wolf….” Strecker (1926a) (based on early fur-trader records) indicated that next to the skins of deer, “those of the black bear were of the most value to the Indians of McLennan County.” Strecker (1926a) also reported that gray wolves occurred as far east as McLennan County. He indicated that they … may never have been very common permanent residents of McLennan County, but in late fall and winter, small packs followed the great herds of buffalo and deer from northwestern Texas and remained here for several months. It was probably only a minority that remained throughout the year. Old settlers refer to packs of from five to eight wolves which they considered small family groups. Another predator, the ocelot, is thought to have ranged as far north as the Red River (Hall & Kelson 1959). Strecker (1924), for example, reported that ocelot occurred in the bottoms of the Brazos River near Waco in McLennan County. Even jaguar are believed to have ranged north to the Red River; the last jaguar record from the area was a large male killed in Mills County (Lampasas Cut Plain to the west of the Blackland Prairie) in 1903 (Bailey 1905). Mountain lions probably occurred throughout the region (Schmidly 1983), with Strecker (1926a) indicating they were common in McLennan County in the middle of the 1800s. However, they were rare by the beginning of the twentieth century (Bailey 1905), and since that time they have been eliminated over most of the region (Schmidly 1983). However, recently there have been reliable sightings of mountain lions in East Texas (e.g., Grayson Co. in 2003—Larry Hardesty, pers. comm.). The collared peccary or javelina, similar to a small wild pig, was also originally present in the southern portion of the area, north to at least the Brazos River valley near Waco in McLennan County (Strecker 1926a; Schmidly 1983; Davis & Schmidly 1994). Other noteworthy mammals that previously occurred in appropriate habitats of the Blackland Prairie (as well as throughout adjoining areas) include river otter,
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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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Forests define East Texas, and to a
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78 INTRODUCTION/GEOLOGY OF PINEYWOO
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80 INTRODUCTION/PRESETTLEMENT, EARL
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Page 103 and 104: 86 INTRODUCTION/PRESETTLEMENT, EARL
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188 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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