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Native Plant Society of Texas

Kerrville Chapter

Chapter Meeting – September 13, 2022 – Edible and Beneficial Native Plants

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Join us on Tuesday, September 13 @ Riverside Nature Center for a presentation by Kim Ort.  Kim will talk about some common and not so commonly known edibles and beneficial plants and how to forage them responsibly.  There will be a short business meeting at 1:30 pm with the presentation starting at 2 pm.  The meeting is open to the public.

Light refreshments will be available and there will be a few door prizes.

After retiring from an engineering career in the technology industry, Kim Ort joined the Texas Master Naturalists Hays County Chapter in 2011.  Inspired by nature and a thirst for knowledge, Kim pursued a MS in Wildlife Ecology at Texas State University.  Her thesis research was The Mating Evolution of Craugastor Augustii and Eleutherodactylus Marnockii in Karst Geology of Central Edwards Plateau.

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: beckyleal

About the Region

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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