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Notable county records for rolling plains angiosperms of north central Texas.

Article Excerpt
Based on data from fieldwork in Wichita County on a privately owned ranch located in the Rolling Plains region of Texas, thirty-nine species of flowering plants in 23 families are reported as new distribution and occurrence records for Wichita County, Texas. Twenty-one of these species represent major range extensions for the species in Texas. These new distribution and occurrence records provide baseline floristic data from a region that is poorly known compared to other regions of the state. Most of the new distributions are native but 31% are introduced species. Distribution data is critical for understanding native plant ranges and the spread of introduced species in the state.

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The flora of the Rolling Plains region of Texas is poorly known compared to other regions of the state (Turner et al. 2003a; 2003b). In fact, no comprehensive flora has been published for this region. Wichita County is located within the Rolling Plains region of Texas and little floristic work has been conducted in the county. The Rolling Plains form a partial boundary with the southeastern edge of the Panhandle region of Texas and extend southward to the northern Edwards Plateau and eastward to the West Cross Timbers regions of Texas. The Rolling Plains is considered a subsection of the Great Plains region of the central United States (Correll & Johnson 1970; Diggs et al. 1999). Rainfall ranges from approximately 56cm (22 in.) in the west to almost 76cm (30 in.) in the eastern region with a summer dry period and corresponding high temperatures (Correll & Johnston 1970). Soils vary from coarse sands to heavy clays, or red-bed clays and shales with much of the area in crop or range land (Correll & Johnston 1970). The original prairie vegetation included tall and mid-grasses with short-grass species increasing under grazing. Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) is a common invader of all soil types, and heavy grazing by livestock (among other factors) has resulted in invasion of various species of grasses and forbs (Correll & Johnston 1970; Diggs et al. 1999).

STUDY AREA AND METHODS

Plants were collected in Wichita County, Texas, mostly from a site 3 km N of Buffalo Creek Reservoir previously described by Stangl et al. (1992)...

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