Plants

Plant Identification:

 Aquatic Plant SmallAquatic Plants

  Wildflowers SmallWildflowers

Much of the Blanco River basin is forested with ash juniper (Juniperus ashei), mesquite (Prosopis sp.) and oak (Quercus sp.) trees. Water-tolerant hard-woods and conifers, such as bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), pecan (Carya illinoinensis), and elm (Ulmus sp.) are found in riparian stream corridors.

Herbaceous vegetation also accounts for a large amount of land cover in the basin, predominantly grasses, punctuated with shrubs and “scrub” plants (TPWD 2007).

Several threatened or endangered plant species (PDF) are known to reside in the Blanco River basin, typically in areas classified as grassland or shrub. Additional varieties of threatened and endangered plants are found in sloping, rocky substrates and predominantly limestone bedrock outcrops.

  • The Basin Bellflower and Big Red Sage
  • Canyon mock-orange
  • Rare granite spiderwort
  • The Hill Country wild mercury

Managing such habitats within the basin must include maintenance of available transition zones (from grassland to low canopy cover/scrub) and the prevention of erosion and scouring from steep slopes.