The flora of Erath County, Texas, U.S.A.

Authors

  • Allan D. Nelson Tarleton State University, Department of Biological Sciences
  • Turner Cotton Tarleton State University, Department of Biological Sciences
  • Sarah Brown Tarleton State University, Department of Biological Sciences
  • Paige Cowley Tarleton State University, Department of Biological Sciences
  • Sara Harsley Tarleton State University, Department of Biological Sciences

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17348/jbrit.v15.i2.1169

Abstract

Knowledge of county floras in Texas is crucial for determining species composition, management, preservation, and restoration across the state. Like most Texas counties, floristic data for Erath County, Texas, is poorly known. The objectives of this investigation were to compile a flora for Erath County, determine the intro-duced, endemic, threatened, and endangered species, as well as make comparisons to the county’s original flora and that of the North Central Texas region. Field work was conducted from September 2003 to December 2009 at 35 sites in Erath County. In addition herbaria were searched to locate specimens from Erath County. A total of 870 species (888 taxa) were identified in 103 families. One hundred forty-four taxa were introduced while 744 taxa were native. Eighteen of the species are Texas endemics. There were two rare plants, Dalea reverchonii and Penstemon guadalupensis, but no threatened or endangered plants were found during the inves-tigation. Four state-listed noxious species were collected during the investigation—Arundo donax (giant reed), Convolvulus arvensis (field bindweed), Tamarix chinensis, and T. gallica (salt-cedars).

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Published

2021-12-10

How to Cite

Nelson, A. D. ., Cotton, T. ., Brown, S. ., Cowley, P. ., & Harsley, S. . (2021). The flora of Erath County, Texas, U.S.A. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, 15(2), 715–737. https://doi.org/10.17348/jbrit.v15.i2.1169