Texas Red Oak. Photo courtesy of Steven Schwartzman
The park is located on the Balcones Escarpment, a series of highly dissected canyons west of the Balcones Fault. This geological area is known as the Jollyville Plateau; its porous rocks are typical of the Edwards Formation within the Fredricksburg Group. The area exhibits the loss of diversity commonly found in overgrazed ranch areas around Austin and the Hill Country – yet still contains a wealth of plants!
See dozens of plants, beautifully photographed by Steven Schwartzman in Great Hills Park, here.
Visit the Great Hills Park page on iNaturalist where you can find additional photos and information on plants and animals in the park as well as contribute your own photos and observations.
Trees & Shrubs
Agarita (Berberis trifoliata)
American elm (Ulmus americana)
Arizona walnut (Juglans major)
Aromatic sumac (Rhus aromatica)
Beargrass (Nolina texana)
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Box elder (Acer negundo)
Bumelia (Sideroxylon lanuginosum)
Carolina buckthorn (Rhamnus carolinanus)
Cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia)
Chinaberry (Melia azedarach) NN, P, I
Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) NN, P, I
Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
Elbow bush (Foresteria pubescens)
Escarpment black cherry (Prunus serotina v. eximia)
Escarpment Live oak (Quercus fusiformis)
Hackberry (Celtis laevigata)
Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)
Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa)
Mountain cedar (Juniperus asheii) OR
Nandina (Nandina domestica) NN, P, I
Osage orange (Maclura pomifera)
Possomhaw holly (Ilex decidua)
Poverty weed (Baccharis neglecta) OR
Prairie sumac (Rhus lanceolata)
Privet (Ligustrum japonicum) NN, P, I
Rattlebush (Sesbania drummondii)
Retama (Parkinsonia aculeata)
Roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii)
Shin oak (Quercus sinuata v. breviloba)
Silk tassel (Garrya lindheimeri)
Soapberry (Sapindus drummondii)
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin v. pubescens)
Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Texas ash (Fraxinum texensis)
Texas kidneywood (Eysenhardtia texana)
Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora) P
Texas redbud (Cercis canadensis v. texensis)
Texas red oak (Quercus buckleyi)
Toothache tree (Zanthoxylum hirsutum)
Viburnum (Viburnum rifidulum)
Wafer ash (Ptelea trifoliata)
Willow (Salix nigra v. lindheimeri)
Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria)
Grasses & Sedges
Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon) NN, I
Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides)
Bushy bluestem (Andropogon glomeratus)
Cattails (Typha latifolia)
Cedar sedge (Carex planostachys)
Dallisgrass (Paspalum dilatatum) NN
Inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifloium)
Japanese brome (Bromus japonicus) NN
Johnsongrass (Sorghum halapense) NN, I
KR bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum) NN, I
Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Lovegrass (Eragrostis intermedia)
Purpletop (Tridens flavus)
Rescuegrass (Bromus unioloides) NN, I
Sand bur (Cenchrus spinifex)
Silver bluestem (Bothriochloa saccharoides)
St Augustine (Stenotaphrum secundatum) NN
Switchgrass (Panicum virginica)
Texas grama (Bouteloua rigidiseta)
Virginia wild rye (Elymus virginicus)
Windmill grass (Chloris verticillata)
Witchgrass (Panicum capallaris)
Guide to notes
NN – non-native (introduced after European settlement)
P – poisonous
I – invasive (invades native ecosystems)
OR – over-represented in ecosystem
Survey by Native Plant Society of Texas 2000-2002