Flowering Plants of Trans-Pecos Texas and Adjacent Areas

This is the first complete floristic treatment of all of the native and naturalized flowering plant species known to occur in Trans-Pecos Texas. The Trans-Pecos is mostly a mountain and desert region west of the Pecos River, an area the size of South Carolina. The region also is part of the northern Chihuahuan Desert, said to be the most biologically diverse arid region in the Western Hemisphere. Approximately 44.5% of all the plant species in Texas are represented in the Trans-Pecos, a total of ca. 2447 vascular plant species. This book features taxonomic treatments of 2343 flowering plant species, along with 120 subspecific taxa, and presents botanical information that will be useful to students, teachers, wildlife biologists, wildflower enthusiasts, ranchers, private and public land managers, naturalists, conservationists, environmental consultants, researchers, gardeners, interpreters at state and national parks, and the general public. The Introduction includes brief coverage of topics such as the flora area, physiography, substrates, vegetative associations partially illustrated by color photos, phytogeography, and a botanical history of the region emphasizing early plant collectors and botanical faculty of the two universities in the region. The major portion of the book involves the Descriptive Flora, i.e., keys to identification, descriptions, and taxonomic treatments of the flowering plants, arranged in alphabetical order by family, genus, and species. The treatment of each species includes the scientific name, common name(s), representative collection localities, flowering period, elevation in the flora area, distribution in the rest of Texas and elsewhere, if applicable, and a discussion paragraph featuring biological information about the species and its relatives. Derivation of scientific names is given for each family, genus, species, and many subspecific taxa. Identification of species is aided by 768 color images. The extensive Literature Cited section includes 2207 references.