Trees, Shrubs & Cacti of South Texas

This revised edition of the popular field guide provides a color photograph and gives family name, scientific name, common name, and a general description for each of more than 180 species of trees, shrubs, and sub-shrubs and more than twenty species of cactus common to the fourteen southernmost counties of Texas. The book contains twelve species not included in the previous edition, plus newly updated information. It describes frequently encountered species as well as many rare or endangered species, and native plants as well as introduced plants that have escaped cultivation and are reproducing in the wild. The text accompanying each plant's photograph includes not only a general description of the plant and its habit, but also its geographical range; a brief description of the habitat in which it can be found; its value and uses, if any, by wildlife and livestock; and, other distinguishing ecological characteristics. Most of the plants were photographed at either the flowering or fruiting stage so that they might be more easily recognized. Although only fourteen counties of South Texas are represented, the extensive ranges of many of the included species make this book a useful reference for plants in other areas of Texas, the southwestern United States, and Northern Mexico. This publication will be useful to ranchers and ranch managers, scientists, and anyone else interested in the flora of southern Texas. Information gleaned from this book will contribute to sound land management programs.