Texas Almanac, 1998-1999 Page: 80
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80 Texas Almanac 1998-1999
Vegetational Areas(Editors note: This article was updated for The Texas Almanac by
Stephen L Hatch, Curator, S.M. Tacy Herbarium and Professor,
Dept. of Rangeland Ecology and Management, Texas A&M
UniversIty.)
Difference in amount and frequency of rainfall, in soils and
in frost-free days gives Texas a great variety of vegetation.
From the forests of East Texas to the deserts of West Texas,
from the grassy plains of North Texas to the semi-arid brush-
lands of South Texas, plant species change continuously.
Sideoats grams, which occurs on more different soils in
Texas than any other native grass, was officially designated as
the state grass of Texas by the Texas Legislature in 1971.
The 10 principal plant life areas of Texas, starting in the
east, are:
1. Piney Woods. Most of this area of some 16 million
acres ranges from about 50 to 700 feet above sea level and
receives 40 to 56 inches of rain yearly. Many rivers, creeks and
bayous drain the region. Nearly all of Texas commercial timber
comes from this area. There are three native species of pine,
the principal timber.: longleaf, shortleaf and loblolly. An intro-
duced species, the slash pine, also is widely grown. Hard-
woods include oaks, elm, hickory, magnolia, sweet and
black gum, tupelo and others.
The area is interspersed with native and Improved grass-
lends. Cattle are the primary grazing animals. Deer and quail
are abundant in properly managed localities. Primary forage
plants, under proper grazing management, include species of
the bluestems, rossettegrass, panicums, paspelums,
blackaseed needlegrass, Canada and Virginia wlldryes, pur-
pletop, broadleaf and spike woodoats, switchcane, loveg-
rasses, indiangrass and numerous legume species.
Highly disturbed areas have understory and overstory of
undesirable woody plants that suppress growth of pine and
desirable grasses. The primary forage grasses have been
reduced and the grasslands have been invaded by threeawns,
annual grasses, weeds, broomsedge bluestem, red loveg-
rass and shrubby woody species.
2. Gulf Prairies and Marshes. The Gulf Prairies and
Marshes cover approximately 10 million acres. There are two
subunits: (a) The marsh and salt grasses immediately at tide-
water, and (b) a little farther inland, a strip of bluestems and tall
grasses, with some gramas in the western part. Many of these
grasses make excellent grazing. Oaks, elm and other hard-
woods grow to some extent, especially along streams, and the
area has some post oak and brushy extensions along its bor-
ders. Much of the Gulf Prairies is fertile farmland. The area is
well suited for cattle.
Principal grasses of the Gulf Prairies are tell bunch-
grasses, including big bluestem, little bluestem, seacoast
bluestem, Indiangrass, eastern gamgrass, Texas winter-
grass, switchgrass and gulf cordgrass. Seashore saltgrass
occurs on moist saline sites. Heavy grazing has changed the
range vegetation in many cases so that the predominant
grasses are the less desirable broomsedge bluestem, smut-
grass, threeawns, tumblegrass and many other inferior
grasses. The other plants that have invaded the productive
grasslands include oak underbrush, Macartney rose, hulsa-
che, mesquite, prickly pear, ragweed, bitter sneezeweed,
broomweed and others.
Vegetation of the Gulf Marshes consists primarily of
sedges, bullrush, flat-sedges, beakrush and other rushes,
smooth cordgrass, marshhay cordgrass, marsh millet and
maidencane. The marshes are grazed best during winter.
3. Post Oak Savannah. This secondary forest region, also
called the Post Oak Belt, covers some 7 million acres. It is
immediately west of the primary forest region, with less annual
rainfall and a little higher elevation. Principal trees are post
oak, blackjack oak and elm. Pecans, walnuts and other
kinds of water-demanding trees grow along streams. The
southwestern extension of this belt is often poorly defined, with
large areas of prairie.
The upland soils are sandy and sandy loam, while the
bottomlands are sandy loams and clays.
The original vegetation consisted mainly of little
bluestem, big bluestem, indlangrass, switchgrmas, purple-
top, sliver bluestem, Texas wlntergrss, spike woodoats,
longleaf woodoats, post oak and blackjack oak. The area is
still largely native or improved grasslands, with small farms
located throughout. Intensive grazing has contributed to dense
stands of a woody understory of yaupon, greenbrlar and oak
brush. Mesquite has become a serious problem. Good forage
plants have been replaced by such plants as splitbeard
bluestem, red lovegreas, broomsedge bluestem, broom-
weed, bullnettle and western ragweed.
4. Blackland Prairies. This area of about 12 million acres,while called a "prairie," has much timber along the streams,
including a variety of oaks, pecan, elm, horse-apple (bols
d'arc) and mesquite. In its native state it was largely a grassy
plain - the first native grassland in the westward extension of
the Southern Forest Region.
Most of this fertile area has been cultivated, and only small
acreages of meadowland remain in original vegetation. In
heavily grazed pastures, the tall bunchgrass has been replaced
by buffalograss, Texas grama and other less productive
grasses. Mesquite, lotebush and other woody plants have
invaded the grasslands.
The original grass vegetation includes big and little
bluestem, Indlangrass, switchgrass, sldeoats grama, hairy
grama, tall dropseed, Texas wintergrass and buffalograss.
Non-grass vegetation is largely legumes and composites.
5. Cross Timbers and Prairles. Approximately 15 million
acres of alternating woodlands, often called the West Cross
Timbers, and prairies constitute this region. Sharp changes in
the vegetational cover are associated with different soils and
topography, but the grass composition is rather uniform.
The prairie-type grasses are big bluestem, little
bluestem, Indlangrass, swltchgrass, Canada wildrye,
sideoats grams, hairy grama, tall grama, tall dropseed,
Texas wintergrass, blue grama and buffalograss.
On the Cross Timbers soils, the grasses are composed of
big bluestem, little bluestem, hooded wlndmlllgrass, sand
lovegrass, indiangrass, switchgrass and many species of
legumes. The woody vegetation includes shlnnery, blackjack,
post and live oaks.
The entire area has been invaded heavily by woody brush
plants of oaks, mesquite, Juniper and other unpalatable
plants that furnish little forage for livestock.
6. South Texas Plains. South of San Antonio, between the
coast and the Rio Grande, are some 21 million acres of sub-
tropical dryland vegetation, consisting of small trees, shrubs,
cactus, weeds and grasses. The area is noteworthy for exten-
sive brushlands, known as the brush country, or the Spanish
equivalents of chaparral or monte. Principal plants are mes-
quite, small live oak, post oak, prickly pear (Opunta) cac-
tus, catclaw, blackbrush, whitebrush, guajillo, hulsache,
cenizo and others which often grow very densely. The original
vegetation was mainly perennial warm-season bunchgrasses
in post oak, live oak and mesquite savannahs. Other brush
species form dense thickets on the ridges and along streams.
Long-continued grazing has contributed to the dense cover of
brush. Most of the desirable grasses have persisted under the
protection of brush and cacti.
There are distinct differences in the original plant commu-
nities on various soils. Dominant grasses on the sandy loam
soils are seacoast bluestem, bristlegrass, paspalum, wind-
millqrss, silver bluestem, big sandbur and tanglehead.
Dominant grasses on the clay and clay loams are sliver
bluestem, Arizona cottontop, buffalograss, common curly-
mesquite, bristlegrass, pappuagrass, grams, plains
lovegrass, Texas cupgrass, vinemesquite, other panicums
and Texas wlntergrass. Low saline areas are characterized by
gulf cordgrass, seashore saltgrass, alkali sacaton and
switchgrass. In the post oak and live oak savannahs, the
grasses are mainly seacoast bluestem, Indiangrss, switch-
grass, crinkleawn, paspalums and panicums. Today much
of the area has been reseeded to buffelgrass.
7. Edwards Plateau. These 25 million acres are rolling to
mountainous, with woodlands in the eastern part and grassy
prairies in the west. There is a good deal of brushy growth in
the central and eastern parts. The combination of grasses,
weeds and small trees is ideal for cattle, sheep, goats, deer
and wild turkey.
This limestone-based area is characterized by the large
number of springfed, perennially flowing streams which
originate in its interior and flow across the Balcones Escarp-
ment, which bounds it on the south and east. The soils are
shallow, ranging from sands to clays and are calcareous in
reaction. This area is predominantly rangeland, with cultivation
confined to the deeper soils.
In the east-central portion is the well-marked Central
Basin centering in Mason, Llano and Burnet counties, with a
mixture of granstic and sandy soils. The western portion of the
area comprises the semi-arid Stockton Plateau.
Noteworthy is the growth of cypress along the perennially
flowing streams. Separated by many miles from cypress
growth of the moist Southern Forest Belt, they constitute one of
Texas' several "islands" of vegetation. These trees, which
grow to stately proportions, were commercialized in the past.
The principal grasses of the clay soils are cane bluestem,
sliver bluestem, little bluestem, sideots grama, hairy
grama, Indiangrass, common curlymesquite, buffalograss,
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Ramos, Mary G. Texas Almanac, 1998-1999, book, 1997; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth162515/m1/80/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.