Guide to Texas Grasses

Robert B. Shaw; Photographs by Paul Montgomery and Robert B. Shaw

Publication Year: 2011

In this new, complete Guide to Texas Grasses, Robert B. Shaw and the team at the Texas A&M University Institute of Renewable Natural Resources provide an indispensable reference to the world’s most economically important plant family. After discussing the impact of grass on our everyday lives as food, biofuels, land restoration, erosion control, and water become ever more urgent issues worldwide—the book then provides:a description of the structure of the grass plant;details of the classification and distribution of Texas grasses;brief species accounts;distributional maps;color photographs;plus black-and-white drawings of 670 grass species—native, introduced, and ornamental. Scientific keys help identify the grasses to group, genera, and species, and an alphabetized checklist includes information on: origin (native or introduced); longevity (annual or perennial);growth season (cool or warm season); endangered status;and occurrence (by ecological zone). A glossary, literature citations, and a quick index to genera round out the book. Guide to Texas Grasses is a comprehensive treatment of Texas grasses meant to assist students, botanists, ecologists, agronomists, range scientists, naturalists, researchers, extension agents, and others who work with or are interested in these important plants.

Published by: Texas A&M University Press

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This compilation is an attempt to bring together all the taxonomic information about grasses in Texas. I tried to include every grass reported for, or thought to occur in, the state. My desire was to assure users that if they collected a grass within the borders of Texas, it would be found somewhere in this work. This...

1. Why Grasses Are Important

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pp. 1-9

The Poaceae (Gramineae) consists of approximately 785 genera and 11,000 species (Watson and Dallwitz 1992; Chen et al. 2006). Based on genera, the grasses are the third-largest family of flowering plants after the Asteraceae (sunflowers) and Orchidaceae (orchids). Grasses are fifth in the number...

2. The Grass Plant

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pp. 10-25

The individual flowering grass tiller consists of extremely simple structures. A phenomenal amount of diversity, however, occurs within these structures, making up the characteristics that differentiate over 700 genera and 11,000 species of grasses....

3. Ecoregions of Texas

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pp. 26-65

Anyone who has been in Texas understands that the state is huge! It is 801 mi (1,282 km) from the northernmost point in Dallam County to the southern tip of Cameron County, and 773 mi (1,237 km) from the Sabine River in Newton County to the Rio Grande in El Paso County. The state covers over 268,000 mi² (694,120 km²) in surface area,...

4. Classification of the Grasses of Texas

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pp. 66-71

The classification of Texas grasses reflects the subfamilies and tribes presented by the Grass Phylogeny Working Group (2001) and adopted by Barkworth et al. (2003, 2007). The current trend in grass classification has been to increase (e.g., “split”) the number of subfamilies. Historically, 2 subfamilies were recognized, “Panicoid” (Panicoideae)...

5. Generic Keys and Species Accounts

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pp. 72-1034

Keys to the grass genera follow (for the most part) Gould (1975b), Gould and Shaw (1983), and Shaw (2008). All keys are artificial, and unrelated taxa are often grouped together. Figure 5.1 presents a diagrammatic guide to major key groups....

Appendix: Collection, Preparation, Handling, and Storage of Grass Specimens

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pp. 1035-1044

As noted in the ecoregion descriptions, many counties lack information on grass diversity. The following description of taxonomic practices is included to familiarize those who may not know the techniques for collecting and documenting plant species. Hopefully, this will encourage more collecting, particularly of grasses, throughout the state....

Glossary

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pp. 1045-1052

Literature Cited

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pp. 1053-1058

Index

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pp. 1059-1080

Back Cover

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E-ISBN-13: 9781603446747
E-ISBN-10: 1603446745
Print-ISBN-13: 9781603441865
Print-ISBN-10: 1603441867

Page Count: 832
Illustrations: 1,357 color, 34 b&w photos. 947 line drawings. 645 maps. Bib. Index.
Publication Year: 2011

Series Title: AgriLife Research and Extension Service Series