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Rare, Endangered and Threatened plants of Saline Prairies\ by Jason Singhurst May 17, 2013 TORCH Saline Prairies Conference, East Texas Natural History Collection, Hawkins, Texas Slide 2 Why are Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas scientists interested in saline prairies? 1. Globally rare plants, endemics, and peripherals plant species 2. Plant communities are globally rare Slide 3 Saline Prairies Physical Setting, Geology, and Soils 1.Fluvial terraces adjacent to active floodplains 2.Soils formed on loamy late Pleistocene sediments 3.In Louisiana and Texas the soil series include Bonn, Brimstone and Lafe Saline Prairie General Appearance 1.Short to medium in height grass canopy 2.Density of grasses is variable but usually sparse 3.Broad flats and wet depressions 4.Slicks that are devoid of vegetation (natric horizon that is characterized by high levels of exchangeable Na often associated with arid or semi-arid environments) 5.Cryptogramic crust composed of algae, mosses, and lichens Slide 4 Saline Prairie Flats and Pimple Mounds Slide 5 Saline Prairie Wet Depressions Slide 6 Saline Prairie Distribution in the West Gulf Costal Plain Slide 7 Saline Prairies Plant Communities Bottomland Prairies Plantago pusilla - Sporobolus pyramidatus - Phemeranthus parviflorus Cleomella angustifolia (Sedum nuttallianum) Association (Keith et al.2004) Silveus Dropseed Prairies Plantago hybrida - Sporobolus pyramindatus - Iva angustifolia - Phemeranthus parviflorus (Hymenoxys perpygmaea ) Association (Mink et al. 2012) Coastal Prairies Sporobolus pyramidatus Spergularia echinosperma Iva angustifolia Hymenoxys texana (Thurovia triflora) (Singhurst et al. unpublished ms) Slide 8 Slide 9 Anderson Saline Prairie Slide 10 Slide 11 Slide 12 Earth-fruit on cryptogramic soils Slide 13 Slide 14 Earth-fruit Slide 15 Slide 16 Wrights lily Slide 17 Slide 18 narrowleaf rhombopod Slide 19 Slide 20 Slide 21 Big Cypress Bayou Prairie a Slide 22 Caddo Lake State Park Slide 23 Slide 24 Joy Global Prairie Slide 25 Slide 26 Slide 27 Texas prairie dawn Slide 28 Earth-fruit Slide 29 Texas saltbush Slide 30 Slide 31 Horton Prairie Slide 32 McLeod Prairie Slide 33 Slide 34 Slide 35 Warren Prairie Slide 36 Slide 37 Texas prairie dawn Slide 38 Slide 39 yellow hedgehyssop Slide 40 Slide 41 Slide 42 Jack Road Prairie Slide 43 Slide 44 Texas windmill grass Slide 45 Hitchcock Prairie Slide 46 Houston daisy Slide 47 Prairie Dawn Preserve Slide 48 Slide 49 Nash Prairie Slide 50 coastal gayfeather Slide 51 Falcon Point Ranch Slide 52 threeflower broomweed Slide 53 San Saba pinweed Slide 54 Slide 55 Gambil Goose Prairie Slide 56 Slide 57 pygmy prairie dawn Slide 58 Smith Prairie Slide 59 Cherokee Prairie Slide 60 Midway Prairie Slide 61 Slide 62 Jason Singhurst Texas Parks & Wildlife 512-389-8726 jason.singhurst@tpwd.state.tx.us