The Vegetation Types of Texas

Grassland

(1) Tobosa-Black Grama Grassland

Commonly Associated Plants: Blue grama, sideoats grama, hairy grama, burrograss, bush muhly, Arizona cottontop, javelina bush, creosote bush, butterflybush, palmella, whitethorn acacia, cholla, broom snakeweed, rough menodora.
Distribution: Principally in low-lying plains in Jeff Davis, Presidio, Brewster, Culberson and Hudspeth Counties in the Trans-Pecos.

Photo of Blue Grama-Buffalograss Grassland; links to large photo.

(2) Blue Grama-Buffalograss Grassland

Commonly Associated Plants: Sideoats grama, hairy grama, sand dropseed, cholla, grassland pricklypear, narrowleaf yucca, western ragweed, broom snakeweed, zinnia, rushpea, scurfpea, catclaw sensitive briar, wild buckwheat, woollywhite.
Distribution: Principally in the northwestern High Plains.

Photo of Bluestem Grassland; links to large photo.

(3) Bluestem Grassland

Commonly Associated Plants: Bushy bluestem, slender bluestem, little bluestem, silver bluestem, three-awn, buffalograss, bermudagrass, brownseed paspalum, single-spike paspalum, smutgrass, sacahuista, windmillgrass, southern dewberry, live oak, mesquite, huisache, baccharis, Macartney rose.
Distribution: Evident over much of the Gulf Prairies and Marshes; particularly manifest in the grassland area of Goliad, Victoria and Refugio Counties and between Refugio and Victoria.

Photo of Silver Bluestem-Texas Wintergrass Grassland; links to large photo.

(4) Silver Bluestem-Texas Wintergrass Grassland

Commonly Associated Plants: Little bluestem, sideoats grama, Texas grama, three-awn, hairy grama, tall dropseed, buffalograss, windmillgrass, hairy tridens, tumblegrass, western ragweed, broom snakeweed, Texas bluebonnet, live oak, post oak, mesquite.
Distribution: Primarily in the Cross Timbers and Prairies.

Photo of Mesquite Shrub/Grassland; links to large photo.

(11a) Mesquite Shrub / Grassland

Commonly Associated Plants: Narrow-leaf yucca, tasajillo, juniper, grassland pricklypear, cholla, blue grama, hairy grama, purple three-awn, Roemer three-awn, buffalograss, little bluestem, western wheatgrass, Indiangrass, switchgrass, James rushpea, scurfpea, lemon scurfpea, sandlily, plains beebalm, scarlet gaura, yellow evening primrose, sandsage, wild buckwheat.
Distribution: High Plains, Rolling Plains and northwestern Edwards Plateau.

Photo of Post Oak Woods, Forest and Grassland Mosaic; links to large photo.

(30a) Post Oak Parks / Woods
(30b) Post Oak Woods, Forest and Grassland Mosaic
(30c) Post Oak Woods / Forest

Commonly Associated Plants (Post Oak Savannah): Blackjack oak, eastern redcedar, mesquite, black hickory, live oak, sandjack oak, cedar elm, hackberry, yaupon, poison oak, American beautyberry, hawthorn, supplejack, trumpet creeper, dewberry, coral-berry, little bluestem, silver bluestem, sand lovegrass, beaked panicum, three-awn, spranglegrass, tickclover.
Distribution: Most apparent on the sandy soils of the Post Oak Savannah.

Photo of Young Forest/Grassland; links to large photo.

(41) Young Forest / Grassland

Commonly Associated Plants: Various combinations and age classes of pine and regrowth southern red oak, sweetgum, post oak, white oak, black hickory, blackgum, elm, hackberry, and water oak resulting from recent harvesting of pine or pine-hardwood forest and subsequent establishment of young pine plantation or young pine-hardwood forest. Shrubs include hawthorn, poison oak, sumac, holly, wax myrtle, blueberry, blackberry, and red bay. This type may also portray grasslands resulting from clearing of forests.
Distribution: Pineywoods.

Photo of Other Native or Introduced Grasses; links to large photo.

(45) Other Native or Introduced Grasses

Commonly Associated Plants: Mixed native or introduced grasses and forbs on grassland sites or mixed herbaceous communities resulting from the clearing of woody vegetation. This type is associated with the clearing of forests in northeast and east-central Texas and may portray early stages of Type 41, Young Forest. Also occurs in the South Texas Plains where brush has been cleared. Such areas are particularly subject to change due to regrowth brush.
Distribution: Principally northeast, east-central and south Texas.

Photo of Marsh/Barrier Island Subtype 4; links to large photo.

(43) Marsh / Barrier Island, Subtype 4: Seaoats-Seacoast Bluestem / Grassland

Commonly Associated Plants: Croton, single-spike paspalum, Pan American balsamscale, flat sedge, sea purslane, cenicilla, bulrush, beach morningglory, goatfoot morningglory, sea rocket, lime pricklyash.
Distribution: Sandy coastal barrier islands from high tide mark to leeward marshes.