This book is mostly about the plant communities of a very large area in south-central Texas called the Edwards Plateau where a number of plant communities come together. This area is a physiographicregion and a confluence of many divergent and discontinuous communities. Many of the plant communities in this area have never been described and nothing is published about them and I plan to rectify this. Work on the species and communities of this area are scattered throughout the literature. I plan to bring this work together in one place. Much of what has been said in the past about this large general region of Texas is hearsay or speculation and much is incorrect and will be corrected here. Communities and factors responsible for allowing the communities to develop and persist will be examined including species present, light levels, herbivory, fire frequency, availability of soil water and soil nutrients. The limits of plant species and communities in this area are difficult to understand including why a community is located where it is and what caused it to be there, how it interacts with other communities and the factors or condition that control the distribution and how the communities interact will be carefully examined and explained in light of recent research.

Because of its large size, topographic diversity, and southcentral position in North America, Texas has a flora of some 5,480 species in 10 natural regions and at least 77 major plant associations. Central in the state's biogeographical pattern is the Edwards Plateau, a strongly dissected tableland, distinctly bordered on the east and south by the abrupt Balcones Escarpment. This volume brings together eight studies of the Plateau originally presented at a symposium sponsored by the Southwestern Association of Naturalists. The aim is to provide an introduction to the vegetational landscape, including representative photographs, specific research about the history of vegetation patterns, and quantitative information on current structure and succession.

"Describes the plants of the Ottine Wetlands of south central Texas, within and surrounding Palmetto State Park. This important ecological region has been little studied and has not been fully described previously. Includes an introduction to the wetlands, descriptions of the plants, color plates, a complete checklist, and a glossary"--Provided by the publisher.

Profiles 185 broad-leaved herbaceous plants in Texas, focusing on southern Texas, that are useful to landowners, providing color photos, comments, and details on their stems, leaves, and other anatomical parts, inflorescence, and fruit. Includes a bibliography and a glossary.