Description
The Southern High Plains of Texas (also known as the Llano Estacado) are in the southernmost subdivision of the High Plains section of the Great Plains Physiographic Province. Most of the Southern Great Plains is comprised of upland sites that were once grasslands dominated mostly by shortgrass plains that supported large herds of native buffalo. However, topographic diversity on the Southern High Plains is subtle and important: sandy soils were characterized by tall grass prairie or sand shinnery oak; major drainages (or draws) that cross the Southern High Plains from the northwest to the southeast provide the setting for plant communities that support considerable shrub diversity; and the escarpments that border the Southern High Plains historically have supported a rich complex of woody species.
