Range Plants Of North Central Texas

Well-managed ranch lands or rangeland in Texas capture the rain that permeates our soils, sustains creeks and rivers, and replenishes aquifers, which, in turn, water our cities. The stewardship of the region is the focus of this book—the largest contributing watershed in the Colorado River Basin—viewed through the lens of its plant communities. This field guide and management reference to four million acres of rangeland in the Concho River watershed of west central Texas offers general descriptions of more than 200 plant species, including information about the plant’s growing period, growth form, livestock and wildlife value, and special management issues. Accompanying photographs give the reader an idea of not only what the plant looks like on the range but also which identifiable features, such as flowers, fruit, or leaf shape, are most important to that particular plant. In addition, several experts cover the use of fire and the management of deer, turkey, dove, and other wildlife in this region. A discussion of noxious, invasive, and toxic plants; historical accounts of the region; four useful appendixes; a glossary; and a plant list complete the impressive content of this comprehensive volume.

New Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundaton (Andrea C. Harkins), Bass Foundation, Ruth Andersson May, Mary G. Palko, Amon G. Carter Foundation, Margret M. Rimmer, Mike and Eva Sandlin.

North American Range Plants has established itself as an essential source in the identification of important range plants. The two hundred plants described were selected on the basis of their abundance, desirability, or poisonous properties. These plants comprise the Master Plant List for the International Range Plant Identification contest, sponsored by the Society for Range Management. Each plant description includes characteristics for identification, an illustration of the plant with enlarged plant parts, and a general distribution map for North America. Each species description includes nomenclature, life span, origin, season of growth, inflorescence, flower or other reproductive parts, vegetative parts, and habitat.

There are over 281 species of woody plants and 32 species of cacti in the South Texas ecological region. The vast majority of these are found in the lower Rio Grande Valley, which is part of the subtropical Tamaulipan biotic province. Many of the plant species in this area reach their northernmost boundary here. The 44 plants described in this guide represent an estimated 75% of the overall brush biomass of the South Texas ecological region, excluding the lower Rio Grande Valley. The plants are grouped into thorned and thornless categories and alphabetized by family. Distinguishing characteristics have been italicized for easy reference. Similar species are also noted. In this guide, plants are not ranked by importance because their value to animals can differ from ranch to ranch, depending on the plant's availability and the ranch's location, soil type, and land management practices. In case a plant is not found in this guide or more information is desired, a list of additional references is included.

620 Wild Plants of North America describes, in beautiful detail, the characteristic features of 89 families of vascular plants--including trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, horsetails, and club-mosses--using labeled ink drawings, text and range maps.

With more than 175,000 copies sold, Texas Wildflowers has established itself as the go-to guide for identifying the state’s roadside flowers. This new edition has been completely reorganized by flower colors (and within each color section, by flowering season) to make it even easier to identify the flowers you see as you travel through Texas. Every wildflower is illustrated with a beautiful full-color photograph—over 250 of which are new to this edition. All of the descriptive identifying information is presented in a consistent format—common and botanical names, plant and leaves, flowers and fruit, flowering season, habitat and range, and notes. What hasn’t changed is the book’s sturdy binding, which will hold up through years of active use, and its wealth of information, which has been thoroughly updated by the expert staff of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: 300 species descriptions, including engaging comments about the plants’ natural histories, landscape uses, edible or medicinal properties, and folklore A map of Texas’s vegetational areas Glossaries that define and illustrate botanical terms A bibliography of books for learning more about wildflowers Indexes to common and botanical plant names, as well as plant families, that distinguish between native and non-native species As Lady Bird Johnson observed in the foreword, Texas Wildflowers “makes me want to reach for my sunhat, put on my walking shoes, take this knowledge-filled book, and fare forth to seek and discover!”