Semi-Native Pastures

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Semi-native pasture occupy about 54% of the ranch landscape, mostly in the lower lying marsh areas.  Some areas consist almost entirely of native species but other areas include native species and introduced forage grasses.  In the 1970s, there was an effort to establish improved pasture grasses in several of the native areas.  These areas are not maintained in an “improved” state, although the Bahia grass persists; so there is a gradation in the native pastures between truly native areas and “unimproved” pasture areas with Bahia grass.  Semi-native pastures and wetland harbor many native species; common grasses include, field paspalum (Paspalum leave), bunch grasses such as broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus L.), bushy bluestem (Andropogon glomeratus), and Panicum longifolium, and a variety of sedges (Cyperaceae spp.).  Wetland areas include diverse assemblages of native wetland plants including maidencane (Panicum hemitomon) which is a high quality forage grass, beak sedge (Rhynchospora spp), watergrass (Luzioloa fluitans), sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) and a variety of herbaceous wetland species.