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Native Plant Society of Texas

Lindheimer wins membership contest

NPSOT Archive

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Lindheimer Chapter became the winner of our second annual Chapter Membership Contest by adding 19 more members in the first three months of 2015, for a 32% increase in their chapter membership.

Lindheimer Chapter is located in New Braunfels. Speaking as a representative of her chapter Deedy Wright said,”the main thing our chapter did was to concentrate on welcoming visitors and bringing them into conversation with members before and after the meetings. Our president Sharon Thomas made it a board goal this year to make that happen. I think you can say we succeeded. We also made a conscious effort to involve new members in activities as fast as possible.” They also followed the Ten Tips for Increasing Membership.

Honorable mentions went to Austin Chapter with 11 more members (8% increase); Big Bend Chapter with 9 (16%) and Kerrville Chapter with 7 (12%). Overall, we have 7% more members than we did this time last year, according to Becky Etzler, our Member Services Coordinator.

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins

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