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Native Plant Society of Texas

Management of Invasive Plants in the Western USA

Presentation Details

Over the past few years, I have been researching how invasive plants are managed in the Western USA. I have interviewed many individuals, including State Dept of Agriculture Weed Coordinators. I have developed an extensive website with important information for all land managers and homeowners on the least and most effective ways to protect crops and natural areas from damage by weeds. And I have discovered that we are failing in our management. There is a lack of coordination between states and the federal government. And while state agencies generally recognize the importance of re-planting with native plants, most agencies do not get beyond the first step, which is to use pesticides.

Equipment Required:
None
Additional Requirements:
None
Ecoregions Covered:
Chihuahuan Deserts

Presenter Information

Delena Norris-Tull

Retired Professor of Science Education. 1990 Dissertation title: Tull, D. Elementary Science Students’ Conceptions in Biology: Their Language, Meanings, Classifications, and Interpretations of Scientific Concepts – An Ethnographic Study. Books: […]

  • Delena Norris-Tull

    Retired Professor of Science Education.

    1990 Dissertation title: Tull, D. Elementary Science Students' Conceptions in Biology: Their Language, Meanings, Classifications, and Interpretations of Scientific Concepts - An Ethnographic Study.

    Books: Tull, D. Edible and Useful Plants of the Southwest: Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Winner of the Carroll Abbott Memorial Award for new writings on Texas Native Plants, presented at the annual meeting of Native Plant Society of Texas, October, 1992.

    Tull, D., & G.O. Miller. Lone Star Field Guide: Wildflowers, Trees, & Shrubs of Texas.

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason