Grasses Of The Texas Gulf Prairies And Marshes

The coastal prairies and marshes of the Texas Gulf Coast are among the richest grazing lands in the state. Traditionally they have been the site of some of the largest ranches in Texas; today the ranches are primarily cow-calf operations that use forage grasses as well as "tame" grasses such as Bermuda and some bluestems. This region is also an excellent natural habitat for upland game and waterfowl and is an important recreational hunting and fishing area. Urban and industrial development has increased in the region as well; since World War II the prairies and marshes have seen the greatest industrial development of any part of the state, and the effects of that development on the environment are of great concern. Grasses of the Texas Gulf Prairies and Marshes serves as a useful manual for the identification and study of grasses of the prairies and marshes adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico from northern Mexico to western Louisiana. This field guide is a systematic and descriptive treatment of the grasses found on that coastal zone and includes keys to the 98 genera and 303 species. For convenience in locating specific taxa, the grasses are listed alphabetically by genus and then by species within genus; common names are provided when they are known. Species descriptions include information on longevity, dimensions of the entire plant and of the spikelets, and descriptions of the grass's habitat and distribution and rating of its value for stock or wildlife. The notes on abundance, habitat, and distribution provide information on the ecological niche of each species. Where known, the requirements of the species, such as moisture, soil, and other environmental conditions are given. Heavily illustrated with line drawings of grass plants and plan parts, this field guide will be useful for stock raisers, wildlife managers, and environmentalists as well as grass taxonomists and range scientists.

In this new, complete Guide to Texas Grasses, Robert B. Shaw and the team at the Texas A&M University Institute of Renewable Natural Resources provide an indispensable reference to the world’s most economically important plant family. After discussing the impact of grass on our everyday lives as food, biofuels, land restoration, erosion control, and water become ever more urgent issues worldwide—the book then provides:a description of the structure of the grass plant;details of the classification and distribution of Texas grasses;brief species accounts;distributional maps;color photographs;plus black-and-white drawings of 670 grass species—native, introduced, and ornamental. Scientific keys help identify the grasses to group, genera, and species, and an alphabetized checklist includes information on: origin (native or introduced); longevity (annual or perennial);growth season (cool or warm season); endangered status;and occurrence (by ecological zone). A glossary, literature citations, and a quick index to genera round out the book. Guide to Texas Grasses is a comprehensive treatment of Texas grasses meant to assist students, botanists, ecologists, agronomists, range scientists, naturalists, researchers, extension agents, and others who work with or are interested in these important plants.

Covering 172 species of the most significant common grasses growing in Texas, this complete update of the now-classic Common Texas Grasses: An Illustrated Guide contains range maps and color images of the inflorescences and spikelets of each species along with the detailed, black-and-white illustrations found in the original volume. Identifying descriptive text, keys to genera and species, a checklist, and a glossary round out this standard field reference for botanists, students, and naturalists.

"Field guide to grasses of the South Texas Plains and adjacent Gulf prairies and marshes; includes detailed keys, descriptions, and color photographs. A reference for grass identification in Texas, the southwestern United States, and northern Mexico"--Provided by publisher.

A vast swath of prairie situated between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains, the North American Great Plains extend across ten states in the United States and three provinces in Canada. The dominant vegetation is grass—both the native species that have long thrived here and the cultivated crops such as corn, wheat, and sorghum that are the result of human agricultural activity. This comprehensive guide, written by three grass specialists, is an invaluable tool for identification of the approximately 450 species of grasses that occur on the Great Plains. In each description, the authors cover distribution, habitat, forage value, and toxicity and include a detailed black-and-white illustration of the grass as well as a range map. Intended as a reference for landowners, rangeland specialists, students, state and federal agency professionals, and nongovernment conservation organizations, Grasses of the Great Plains will serve a wide audience of users involved in and dedicated to grassland management.

For everyone who studies or simply enjoys the impressive variety of wild plants that grow in the counties of Texas' coastal bend, here is an authoritative, user-friendly book that will make an excellent reference.

North America’s grasslands once stretched from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and across this considerable space different prairie types evolved to express the sum of their particular longitude and latitude, soils, landforms, and aspect. This prairie guide is your roadmap to what remains of this varied and majestic landscape. Suzanne Winckler’s goal is to encourage travelers to get off the highways, out of their cars, and onto North America’s last remaining prairies. She makes this adventure as easy as possible by providing exact driving directions to the more than three hundred sites in her guide. She also includes information about size, management, phone numbers, and outstanding characteristics for every prairie site and provides readers with a thorough list of recommended readings and Web sites. The scope of the guide is impressive. It encompasses prairies found within national grasslands, parks, forests, recreation areas, wildlife refuges, state parks, preserves, and natural areas and on numerous working ranches in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. A series of maps locate the prairies both geographically and by name. From “the largest restoration project within the historic range of tallgrass prairie” at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa to Big Bend National Park in Texas, where “the Chisos Mountains, completely surrounded by the park, rise up majestically from the Chihuahuan Desert floor,” Winckler celebrates the dramatic expanses of untouched prairie, the crown jewels of prairie reconstruction and restoration, and the neglected remnants that deserve to be treasured.

Whether you have an apartment balcony or a multi-acre ranch, the Texas Wildscapes(TM) program provides the tools you need to make a home for all the animals that will thrive in the native habitat you create.