Gulf Marshes and Prairies
The Gulf Marshes, covering approximately 500,000 acres, are on a narrow strip of lowlands adjacent to the coast and the barrier islands (e.g., Padre Island), which extend from Mexico to Louisiana. The Gulf Prairies, about 9 million acres, include the nearly flat plain extending 30 to 80 miles inland from the Gulf Marshes. The Gulf Marshes are a low, wet, marshy coastal area, commonly covered with saline water, and range from sea level to a few feet in elevation. The Gulf Prairies are nearly level and virtually undissected plains having slow surface drainage and elevations from sea level to 250 feet. Soils of the Gulf Marshes are dark, poorly drained sandy loams and clays, and light neutral sands, typically showing little textural change with depth. The loamy and clayey soils are commonly saline and sodic. Prairie soils are dark, neutral to slightly acid clay loams and clays in the northeastern parts. Further south in the subhumid Coastal Bend, the soils are less acidic. A narrow band of light acid sands and darker loamy to clayey soils stretches along the coast. Inland from the dark clayey soils is a narrow belt of lighter acid fine sandy loam soils with gray to brown, and red mottled subsoils. Soils of the river bottomlands and broad deltaic plains are reddish brown to dark gray, slightly acid to calcareous, loamy to clayey alluvial.Printer Friendly: Species List | List with Images | List with QR Tags to Mobile
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |
Geum canadense | White Avens | |
Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida | Prairie Verbena Purple Prairie Verbena Dakota Mock Vervain Dakota Vervain | |
Glandularia canadensis | Rose Vervain Sweet William Rose Mock Vervain | |
Gleditsia triacanthos | Honey Locust Common Honey Locust Thorny Common Honey Locust Honey Shucks Locust Sweet Locust Thorny Locust Honey Shucks Sweet Bean Tree | |
Guaiacum angustifolium | Texas Lignum-vitae Soapbush Guayacan | |
Halesia diptera | Two-wing Silverbell Two-winged Silverbell Silverbell American Snowdrop Tree Snowdrop Tree Snowbell Cowlicks | |
Havardia pallens | Tenaza Huajillo Ape's Ear-ring | |
Hamamelis virginiana | Witch-hazel American Witch-hazel Common Witch-hazel Winterbloom Snapping Hazelnut Striped Alder Spotted Alder Tobacco-wood Water-witch | |
Helenium amarum | Yellow Sneezeweed Bitterweed Yellow Bitterweed Yellowdicks Slender-leaved Sneezeweed Fine-leaved Sneezweed Yellow Dog-fennel | |
Helianthus angustifolius | Swamp Sunflower Narrowleaf Sunflower Narrow-leaved Sunflower | |
Heteropogon contortus | Tanglehead | |
Heliotropium curassavicum | Salt Heliotrope Seaside Heliotrope Quail Plant Cola De Mico Cola De Gama | |
Herbertia lahue | Prairie Nymph Herbertia | |
Helianthus maximiliani | Maximilian Sunflower Max Sunflower | |
Heliotropium tenellum | Pasture Heliotrope White Heliotrope | |
Hibiscus coccineus | Scarlet Rosemallow Crimson Rosemallow Wild Red Mallow Texas Star Hibiscus | |
Hibiscus laevis | Halberdleaf Rosemallow Halberdleaf Hibiscus Scarlet Rose Mallow Halberd-leaved Hibiscus Halberd-leaved Rose-mallow | |
Hymenopappus artemisiifolius | Oldplainsman Woolly-white Old Plainsman | |
Hymenocallis liriosme | Texas Spiderlily Spring Spiderlily Spiderlily Louisiana Spiderlily Western Marsh Spiderlily | |
Hydrolea ovata | Blue Waterleaf Ovate False Fiddleleaf Hairy Hydrolea | |
Hydrangea quercifolia | Oakleaf Hydrangea Oak-leaf Hydrangea | |
Ibervillea lindheimeri | Balsam Gourd Lindheimer's Globeberry Globe Berry Snake-apple Balsam-apple | |
Ilex decidua | Possumhaw Possumhaw Holly Deciduous Holly Meadow Holly Prairie Holly Swamp Holly Welk Holly Deciduous Yaupon Bearberry Winterberry | |
Ilex opaca | American Holly White Holly Prickly Holly Evergreen Holly Christmas Holly Yule Holly | |
Ilex verticillata | Common Winterberry Winterberry Michigan Holly Black Alder | |
Ilex vomitoria | Yaupon Yaupon Holly Cassina | |
Ipomoea imperati | Beach Morning-glory Beach Morning Glory | |
Ipomopsis rubra | Standing Cypress Texas Plume Red Texas Star Red Gilia | |
Justicia americana | American Water-willow Water-willow | |
Juglans nigra | Black Walnut Eastern Black Walnut American Black Walnut | |
Justicia pilosella | Hairy Tube-tongue Gregg's Tube-tongue False Honeysuckle | |
Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola | Southern Red Cedar Southern Redcedar Sand Cedar Coast Juniper | |
Kosteletzkya virginica | Virginia Saltmarsh Mallow Virginia Fen-rose Saltmarsh Mallow Seashore Mallow | |
Lippia alba | Bushy Lippia | |
Lindera benzoin | Northern Spicebush Spicebush Wild Allspice | |
Linum berlandieri var. berlandieri | Berlandier's Yellow Flax Yellow Flax Stiff-stem Flax | |
Liatris elegans | Pink-scale Blazing Star Pink-scale Gayfeather Pink-scale Liatris | |
Lithospermum incisum | Fringed Puccoon Golden Puccoon Narrowleaf Puccoon Narrow-leaved Puccoon Puccoon Narrowleaf Gromwell Fringed Gromwell Narrowleaf Stoneseed | |
Liatris pycnostachya | Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Gayfeather Prairie Liatris Kansas Blazing Star Kansas Gayfeather Kansas Liatris Cat-tail Blazing Star Cat-tail Gayfeather Cat-tail Liatris Hairy Button-snakeroot | |
Liquidambar styraciflua | Sweetgum American Sweetgum Red Gum White Gum Star-leaved Gum Starleaf Gum Alligator Tree Satin Walnut Bilsted Liquidambar | |
Lindheimera texana | Texas Yellowstar Texas Star Texas Yellow-star Lindheimer Daisy | |
Lobelia cardinalis | Cardinal Flower | |
Lonicera sempervirens | Coral Honeysuckle Trumpet Honeysuckle Woodbine | |
Lycium berlandieri | Berlandier's Wolfberry Wolfberry | |
Lycium carolinianum | Carolina Wolfberry Carolina Desert-thorn Creeping Wolfberry Christmas Berry | |
Maurandella antirrhiniflora | Snapdragon Vine Roving Sailor Climbing Snapdragon Little Snapdragon Vine | |
Marshallia caespitosa | Barbara's-buttons Puffballs White Barbara's-buttons Barbara's Buttons | |
Malpighia glabra | Barbados Cherry Wild Crapemyrtle Acerola Manzanita | |
Magnolia grandiflora | Southern Magnolia Evergreen Magnolia Loblolly Magnolia Great Laurel Magnolia Big Laurel Bull Bay | |
Marsilea macropoda | Bigfoot Water-clover Water-clover Clover-fern Largefoot Pepperwort | |
Maclura pomifera | Osage Orange Bois d' Arc Bodark Horse Apple Hedge Apple Bowwood Yellowwood Naranjo Chino Monkey Brains | |
Manfreda variegata | Mottled Tuberose Huaco Texas Tuberose | |
Mitchella repens | Partridgeberry Twinberry Running Box Pigeon Plum | |
Monarda citriodora | Lemon Beebalm Purple Horsemint Lemon Mint Plains Horsemint Lemon Horsemint Horsemint Purple Lemon Mint | |
Morus rubra | Red Mulberry Moral | |
Nekemias arborea | Peppervine | |
Nelumbo lutea | American Lotus Yellow Water Lotus Yellow Lotus | |
Nemophila phacelioides | Texas Baby Blue Eyes Large-flower Baby-blue-eyes Baby Blue-eyes Flannel Breeches | |
Nuphar lutea | Yellow Pond Lily Yellow Cow Lily Cow Lily Spatter Dock Wakas | |
Nuphar lutea ssp. advena | Common Spatterdock Spatterdock Yellow Cow-lily Cow-lily Yellow Pond-lily Brandy-bottle | |
Nuttallanthus texanus | Texas Toadflax Texas Toad-flax Toadflax | |
Nymphoides aquatica | Big Floatingheart Floating Hearts | |
Nymphaea odorata | American White Water-lily Fragrant White Water-lily Fragrant Water-lily White Water-lily Sweet-scented White Water-lily Sweet-scented Water-lily Beaver Root | |
Oenothera lindheimeri | White Gaura Butterfly Gaura Lindheimer's Beeblossom Lindheimer's Gaura | |
Oenothera speciosa | Pink Evening Primrose Showy Evening Primrose Mexican Evening Primrose Showy Primrose Pink Ladies Buttercups Pink Buttercups | |
Onoclea sensibilis | Sensitive Fern Bead Fern Sympathy Fern | |
Opuntia engelmannii var. engelmannii | Cactus Apple Prickly Pear | |
Opuntia macrorhiza | Bigroot Prickly Pear Twist-spine Prickly Pear Common Prickly Pear Plains Prickly Pear | |
Osmunda cinnamomea | Cinnamon Fern | |
Osmunda regalis | Royal Fern | |
Oxalis stricta | Common Yellow Oxalis Yellow Wood-sorrel Upright Yellow Wood-sorrel Yellow Woodsorrel | |
Parkinsonia aculeata | Retama Paloverde Mexican Paloverde Jerusalem Thorn Horsebean Lluvia De Oro | |
Pappophorum bicolor | Pink Pappasgrass Pink Pappusgrass | |
Palafoxia callosa | Small Palafox Small Palafoxia | |
Paspalum floridanum | Florida Paspalum | |
Passiflora foetida | Corona De Cristo Fetid Passionflower | |
Palafoxia hookeriana | Sand Palafox Showy Palafox Hooker Palafoxia Sand Palafoxia Hooker's Palafoxia | |
Passiflora incarnata | Maypop Purple Passionflower Purple Passion Vine Apricot Vine | |
Passiflora lutea | Yellow Passionflower Yellow Passion Vine Yellow Passion-flower | |
Paspalum monostachyum | Gulfdune Paspalum | |
Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Virginia Creeper | |
Palafoxia rosea | Rosy Palafox Rose Palafoxia | |
Palafoxia sphacelata | Othake Sand Palafoxia | |
Panicum virgatum | Switchgrass Wand Panic Grass | |
Penstemon cobaea | Prairie Penstemon Prairie Beardtongue Foxglove Penstemon Foxglove Beardtongue False Foxglove Large-flowered Penstemon Large-flowered Beardtongue Cobaea Penstemon Cobaea Beardtongue Wild Foxglove | |
Penstemon tenuis | Brazos Penstemon Brazos Beardtongue Gulf Penstemon Gulf Beardtongue Gulf Coast Penstemon Gulf Coast Beardtongue Sharp-sepal Penstemon Sharp-sepal Beardtongue | |
Peltandra virginica | Tuckahoe Green Arrow Arum Arrow Arum Green Arum | |
Physostegia angustifolia | Narrowleaf False Dragonhead False Dragon-head | |
Phlox drummondii | Annual Phlox Drummond Phlox Pride-of-Texas Texas Pride | |
Phlox drummondii ssp. mcallisteri | Mcallister's Phlox Drummond Phlox | |
Phlox glabriflora | Rio Grande Phlox | |
Physostegia intermedia | Spring Obedient Plant Marsh Obedient Plant Slender False Dragonhead Intermediate False Dragonhead | |
Phacelia patuliflora | Sand Phacelia Sand Scorpionweed Blue Phacelia | |
Phlox pilosa | Downy Phlox Prairie Phlox Fragrant Phlox | |
Phlox pilosa ssp. pilosa | Downy Phlox Prairie Phlox Fragrant Phlox | |
Phlox roemeriana | Goldeneye Phlox Golden-eye Phlox | |
Physostegia virginiana ssp. praemorsa | Obedient Plant Fall Obedient Plant Lionheart False Dragonhead | |
Pinus palustris | Longleaf Pine Georgia Pine Longleaf Yellow Pine Southern Yellow Pine Longstraw Pine Hill Pine Hard Pine Heart Pine | |
Platanus occidentalis | American Sycamore Eastern Sycamore American Plane Tree Plane Tree Buttonwood Buttonball Tree | |
Polystichum acrostichoides | Christmas Fern | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |