Southeastern Coastal Plain Interdunal Wetland

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Nature Serve ID: CES203.258

Geology

Coastal eolian sands, extending inland on the South Texas Sand Sheet. Also on Pleistocene barrier island and beach deposits of the Beaumont formation, such as on the Ingleside Barrier.

Landform

Occupying topographic lows of interdunal swales and potholes.

Soils

Deep sands and coastal sands.

Parent Description

These wetlands occur on topographic lows in nearly level to steeply rolling landscapes on sands and deep sands along the coast and inland on the South Texas Sand Sheet. They are alternately wet and dry (due to seasonal rainfall events) and generally lack tidal influence, but may contain halophytic species due to the influence of salt spray and repeated inundation and evaporation. They are graminoid dominated sites, with species such as Spartina patens (marshhay cordgrass), Andropogon glomeratus (bushy bluestem), Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Paspalum monostachyum (gulfdune paspalum), Distichlis spicata (saltgrass), Fimbristylis castanea (chestnut fimbry), Rhynchospora colorata (whitetop sedge), Eleocharis spp. (spikerushes), Rhynchospora spp. (beaksedges), Typha spp. (cattails), and Schoenoplectus pungens (common threesquare). Forbs such as Hydrocotyle bonariensis (largeleaf pennywort), Centella erecta (spadeleaf), Phyla nodiflora (common frog-fruit), Samolus ebracteatus (coast brookweed), Bacopa monnieri (coastal water-hyssop), and Pluchea foetida (marsh fleabane) may be conspicuous. Woody species such as Batis maritima (saltwort), Sesbania spp. (rattleboxes), Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite), and Baccharis spp. (baccharis) may be present but do not typically constitute significant cover.

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