West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp

Geology

Quaternary alluvium deposited within the Beaumont/Deweyville surfaces.

Landform

Large river floodplains of the Sabine, Neches, and Trinity Rivers near the coast, often with some tidal influence.

Soils

Bottomland soils of the near-coast region.

Parent Description

These swamps, usually dominated by Taxodium distichum (baldcypress) and/or Nyssa aquatica (water tupelo), occur along the Sabine, Neches, and Trinity Rivers as they enter the bays and estuaries and have some tidal influence. These are generally distributed downstream of Interstate Highway 10 (a coincidental landmark for the distribution of this system). On the Neches River, this is nearly coincident with the area downstream of the confluence with Pine Island Bayou. These swamps are typically interspersed with marshes of the coastal region. Other species are usually more minor components of the canopy, including Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash), Acer negundo (boxelder), and Triadica sebifera (Chinese tallow).