Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Texas Wild Rice is an endangered species that exists only in a two mile stretch of the San Marcos River.

06— Just in that two-mile stretch. Because, what happens is, you go further down the river and the river‘s character changes.

Botanist, Jackie Poole says where the rice grows, the spring-fed river is clear and a constant 72 degrees; but, farther downstream…

10— It’s very different. It starts to become more turbid, and loses that constant temperature quality. So, it’s just not as good habitat further downstream.

When asked to describe the plant, Poole laughed and said it’s like flowing hair.

15— [chuckle] That’s probably the best way to say it. If you envision someone with long, flowing hair, the leaves are submerged under water. And they can be up to 10 to 15 feet long, and so they just wave underneath the water with the current.

So here we have a very rare and endangered plant that only grows underwater along a two mile stretch of river. So, does that mean we never see it?

17— It does flower. And when it flowers, the flowering stalks are produced above the water. So then you would see flowering stalks that look like, um, maybe most grasses – like a Johnson grass. I hate to use that example of a noxious, invasive species. But it does resemble that.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.