CPC National Collection Plant Profile
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Chloris texensis
Family: |
Poaceae |
Common Name: |
Texas windmill-grass |
Author: |
Nash |
Growth Habit: |
Perennial |
CPC
Number: |
916 |
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Primary
custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered
Plants is: |
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Dave Berkshire contributed to this Plant Profile. |
Chloris texensis
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Texas windmill-grass is a tufted perennial with blue-green leaves that can reach knee high, but usually is much shorter than this. Plants often bear stolons or underground stems. Each flower shoot supports a whorl of five to ten spikes per panicle, five to eight-inches long, which radiate from the center like the arms of a windmill. The plant flowers in October and November and often remains green all year.
Chloris texensis occurs in the Coastal Prairies of Texas and is often associated with raised areas called pimple or mima mounds. Plants that grow in association with Texas windmill-grass include the rare endemics prairie dawn (Hymenoxys texana) and Houston camphor daisy (Rayjacksonia aurea).
Distribution
& Occurrence |
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State Range
Habitat
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Found mostly in sandy to sandy loam soils of barren ground areas with little or no competition from other plants. Often found associated with low mounds termed pimple or mima mounds within the native tall-grass prairie of the coastal plains where the sandier soil is exposed and vegetation is thin (Nemec 1995). Slick areas composed of fine-sandy compacted soil occur in seasonally wet depressions or saline swales at the periphery mima mounds (Stark 1996). The upper 7 inches of the soils, in the Narta soil series, are poorly drained and are powdery when dry and sticky and soft when wet. These soils are often saline and moderately alkaline (Stark 1996) however, acidic soils have also been sampled where Chloris texensis grows (Nemec 1995). Little water is available to plant roots beyond the upper 7 inches in these soils at the base of the mima mounds. Plants in these communities endure soil conditions ranging from saturated during the winter to droughty in the summer (Stark 1996). |
Distribution
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A species of concern in Brazoria, Brazos (historical), Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Nueces, Refugio and possibly Hidalgo counties of Texas coastal prairies. |
Number Left
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Thirty-two records are known from Texas, mostly from the 1980's or later and mostly from private lands (Poole 2000). Sixteen populations originally reported, with several now gone (Wipff 1993). All populations are considered threatened. |
State/Area
Protection
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State/Area |
Rank |
Status |
Date |
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Conservation,
Ecology & Research |
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Ecological
Relationships
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Often associated with rare other rare species in pimple or mima mound communities in the native tall-grass prairie of the coastal plains of Texas, where the soil is more exposed and vegetation is thin. Sometimes associated with coastal prairie endemics Hymenoxys texana, Thurovia triflora, Rayjacksonia aurea in or around the edges of slightly saline bare areas around pimple mounds. Native grasses are important host plants for butterflies including Satyr and Skipper butterflies. |
Threats
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The major threat to these populations is development, especially in the Houston area. |
Current Research Summary
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Seeds from eleven sites within Harris County collected by Dr. Larry Brown of Houston Community College and Ralph Taylor of the Harris County Flood Control District are stored at Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. These banked wild-collected seeds date to 1993.
Mercer also banks subsets of rare seeds collected from field surveys and from propagation work with our collaborating CPC institution, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, TX and the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NCGRP) in Ft. Collins, CO (formerly called the National Seed Storage Laboratories).
Germination and growth to maturity studies were performed at Mercer by Greg Wieland (1993). Plants are propagated by division or by seed.
Mercer Arboretum maintains a thriving permanent public display of this grass in the Endangered Species Garden. The Endangered Species Garden, established in 1994 with support from Star Enterprises, displays rare native plants for the public to view year-round. In Spring 2002, the River Oaks Garden Club of Houston, TX provided a generous gift to begin the expansion and renovation of Mercers Endangered Species Garden. |
Current Management Summary
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Monitoring for the coastal prairie endemics, such as this species, is being coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Office in Houston. |
Research Management Needs
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Management strategy should follow that of Hymenoxys texana and Rayjacksonia aurea. As Poole (2000) stated for Rayjacksonia aurea, a survey of all sites to determine the population, viability, threat and land ownership should be completed. The establishment of a conservation agreement with the Corp of Engineers in Houston Texas would provide protection for some populations and possibly serve as a rescue site. Current populations under threat from competition by woody vegetation would require mowing or controlled burning as stated for Rayjacksonia aurea by Price (2000).
Identify protected sites for reintroduction efforts.
Monitor sites and seek preservation of populations. |
Monitoring Efforts
Ex Situ Needs
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Expand seed bank.
Identify protected sites for reintroduction efforts. |
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Books (Single Authors)
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Correll, D.S.; Johnston, M.C. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. Renner: Texas Research Foundation. 1881p.
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Gould, F.W.; Box, T.W. 1965. Grasses of the Texas Coastal Bend. College Station, TX: Texas A & M University Press. 186p.
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Hatch, S.L.; Schuster, D.L.; Drawe, D.L. 1999. Grasses of the Texas Gulf prairies & Marshes. College Station, TX. Texas A&M University Press.
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Poole, J.M.; Carr, W.R.; Price, D.M.; Singhurst, J.R. 2007. Rare Plants of Texas. College Station, Texas. Texas A&M University Press. 640p.
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Books (Sections)
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Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC.
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Journal Articles
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Nash, G.V. 1896. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanic Club. 23: 151.
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Nash, G.V. 1898. Chloris nealleyi Nash. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanic Club. 25: 435.
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Personal Communications
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Wipff, J. 1993. Personal communication from TX A&M to Greg Wieland at Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens on November 17, 1993.
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Reports
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Wieland, G. 1993. Unpublished report to CPC. Humble, TX: Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens.
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This
profile was updated on 3/4/2010 |
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