Redberry
juniper-midgrass
community
Mesquite - midgrass community
Rangeland vegetation in the Rolling Plains is characterized by 2 distinct
communities- those dominated by redberry juniper trees and those dominated
by Mesquite trees. Juniper communities occur on shallow clay-loam soils
which have exposed rock or gypsum with sparse herbaceous vegetation as
well as deeper soils with more abundant herbaceous vegetation. Mesquite
communities occur on deeper clay-loam soils with greater continuity of
herbaceous vegetation. The herbaceous vegetation in both of these
communities is composed of taller patches dominated by midgrasses and
short patches dominated by shortgrasses. The midgrasses commonly include
Texas wintergrass, sideoats grama, silver bluestem, meadow dropseed and
tobosa grass while the shortgrass patches commonly include buffalograss,
hairy grama, Texas grama and blue grama. Common forbs include heath aster,
annual broomweed, western ragweed and plantain spp.
Range
health in response
to grazing.
Establishment ecology of redberry juniper.
Rolling Plains plant species list
Websites
with plant illustrations
Noble
Foundation
plant image
gallery
Flora
of Texas Consortium
TEXNAT
- Texas Natural Resources Server
S.M.
Tracy Herbarium plant
image library