Overton
Park is distinctive in its huge bur oaks, cedar elms, American elms,
hackberries, pecans, Texas oaks, green ashes, and Texas ashes, the most common tree
species (PHOTOS OF PARK). To see the
magnificent, thick-branched bur oaks, in particular, is worth the visit. Texas ash characteristically grows in drier,
upland habitats (visit Oakmont Park, for example) but the trees native here in
the Trinity River "bottomland” are unmistakably that species. The Texas state champion Texas ash (big tree,
to be nominated) is in the neighborhood immediately to the east.
Also beautiful
and interesting to see in Overton Park are smaller and less abundant
(or less conspicuous) native species, such as the soapberry, gum bumelia, Berlandier’s ash, ash-leaved maple, red
mulberry, Mexican plum, and Eve’s necklace.
Berlandier’s ash is at the northern end of its geographic range in
Tarrant and Dallas counties -- most of the few I've encountered are relatively
small trees scattered along the
drainages, especially at the north end of the park.
Native
shrubs in the parks are almost completely restricted to the narrow band along
the creek that is not mowed or otherwise "maintained." Most of these species are not abundant or
conspicuous and perhaps are overlooked by most who are familiar with the park,
but they add an element (like a sparkle) that make the parks much more
interesting. Especially nice are these: Cornus
drummondii (rough-leaf
dogwood), Forestiera
pubescens (elbow bush), Ilex decidua (deciduous holly), Sophora affinis (Eve's
necklace), Rhus
glabra (smooth sumac), Sambucus canadensis (elderberry), and Viburnum rufidulum (rusty black haw).
To
see the greatest diversity of trees, walk along the northern, east-trending
spur of the trail (see MAP OF PARK), which closely follows the south side of the deep, natural
drainage. Eve’s necklace is particularly
common here. In most of the rest of
Overton Park, the trail is divided and runs along both sides of the creek,
passing close to many species. In Foster
Park, the trees have been planted in the last 50-60 years, except for those
immediately along one of the small drainages, as all or most of the native ones
apparently were cut prior to 1954, the last year when the area was part of a
cattle ranch run by the Edwards family (see Tanglewood History).
Old trees
Overton Park has lots of "originals." The top of a cedar elm beside the bball court
blew off in a 2010 storm (see park photos) and the rest of the trunk was cut
down by the city. The stump was 63 inches in circumference at 3 feet
above the ground, and by a count of its rings, the tree proved to be about 102 years old. Circumferences
of the 10 cedar elms closest to the stump were 36, 47, 50, 51, 56, 58, 64, 70,
66, and 71 inches. Assuming that these
11 have grown at about the same rate, the trees in this group probably were
established between about 60 and 130 years ago, surely an indication of their
gradual and natural replacement in those original woods.
Some
of the Overton Park
bur oaks are real multicentenarians. In
'remnant' sites in the Midwest, bur oaks commonly are 300 to 400 years old,
reaching a known maximum of 440 years, and it surely would not be surprising if
some of the huge Overton Park trees proved to be that old. See [Huntsville Trees, Chapter 1] for general comments on
tree ages.
Invasives
Toward
the south end of Overton Park and particularly in Foster Park, one can see how even the small bits of
remaining native vegetation (non-tree) are being overwhelmed by non-native shrubs,
particular the Quihoui privet, glossy privet, and Amur honeysuckle. The Quihoui privet, particularly (here and in
other FW parks as well), forms nearly impenetrable thickets. Removal of these and other invasive species, especially
the woody ones, would open up many spaces and allow natives to grow.
The future
Without
removal of these invasives, and because constant mowing and maintenance prevents
natural replacement of native species, it’s interesting to consider how the
appearance of these parks may continue to change. Few if any native species are being
replaced. Some young bur oaks have been
planted, but they may not have come from Texas, much less the Fort Worth area. There are about three young (planted) trees
near the north end of Overton Park that are either cedar elm or winged elm (Ulmus alata, not known
natively from the park), but their identity won't be known until they're old
enough to flower. A few pecans have been
planted near the creek, but I'm guessing that the origin of these is horticultural,
since native pecans of Overton Park produce tiny, hard-shelled nuts and are hardly
likely to be used for propagation in most places. A few young oaks, probably Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii), have been
planted -- this species occurs natively in Texas, but only east of the Dallas
area; our beautiful native oaks (with leaves deeply cut and sharp-pointed
lobes) seems to be almost all Texas oak (Quercus buckleyi). Many chinquapin oaks (Quercus muehlenbergii) were planted
in the last 15 years mostly along Overton Park East –– this species is native
to north-central Texas but it is rare in this region and I've not seen a single
native individual of it in any of the Fort Worth parks. If the reason these were planted is simply
because they were available, there are better reasons.
Many
other non-native species of trees and shrubs have been planted in Overton and Foster parks and all are interesting to
see. But there's a choice to be made,
even if not explicitly, between creating an arboretum and maintaining a 'woods'
closer to the original appearance and biology.
Keeping the native species is more of a challenge, but the effort seems
worthwhile. The conservation value of
maintaining natural, locally adapted populations of these species, which
everywhere are being pushed toward smaller and smaller numbers, is
immeasurable. It's a wonderful
opportunity for our own species to be able to maintain populations of these
others –– and in the same area that we can enjoy as parks.
My
personal choices for replanting trees in Overton and Foster parks: Ulmus
crassifolia
(cedar elm), Ulmus americana (American elm), Quercus
macrocarpa (bur
oak), Fraxinus albicans (Texas ash), Quercus
buckleyi (Texas oak), Bumelia
lanuginosa
(bumelia), Prunus mexicana (Mexican plum), and Sapindus
drummondii (soapberry). Each of these occurs natively in the parks,
all of them grow into beautiful trees that would retain the character of the
parks. Fraxinus
berlandieriana (Berlandier’s ash) and Morus rubra (red mulberry), and Sophora affinis (Eve's necklace) are mostly understory
trees and could be maintained along the creek, where they now grow. And,
of course, since none of the native plants, unless they grow practically
in the water or on the steepest slopes, have a chance of regenerating
naturally, all of the trees will have to be replanted if they are to remain
part of the parks –– this includes Fraxinus pensylvanica
(green ash), Acer
negundo
(ash-leaved maple), Juglans nigra (black walnut), Carya illinoiensis (pecan), Celtis laevigata (hackberry), Salix nigra (black willow), Populus deltoides (cottonwood), and others.
All of the native trees
and shrubs of the parks produce abundant fruits and seeds that could easily be
propagated for replanting. With only a
small, distributed effort by people from surrounding neighborhoods, and perhaps
a little guidance in finding seed sources of some of them, all of the tree and
shrub species could be regenerated from plants already growing in the parks!
Layout of the parks
Most
or all of the larger trees in the parks and in the neighborhoods immediately to
the east were part of the original, periodically flooded woods in the area. Floods were relatively common in this low
area until completion
of Benbrook dam in 1952. As noted in
the general comments on FW parks, Overton Park is in the Trinity River
floodplain (and immediate tributaries) and is a quintessential example of a
linear park, with remnant flora stretched along recently flooded areas where
commerce and residences have not been built.
Other "floodplain" parks in the city have similar vegetation
–– Trinity Park and the FW Botanic Garden are essentially an extension of the
same linear system and have the same trees (see Trinity Park).
End-to-end,
Overton and Foster parks form a narrow band that runs 2.5 miles in mostly a
north-south direction (MAP
OF
PARK). A
paved hike & bike trail (TH8 of the Trinity Trail system) runs the whole
distance and links to the main Trinity River trail by a 0.8-mile connector
(TH3), which crosses under South Hulen Street.
Along the main part of the park, the trail runs along both sides of “Overton
Creek” and is interconnected at several points by bridges. At its northern end, Overton Park (with the
trail) turns sharply and runs eastward for 0.6 mile along a large, natural
drainage that eventually flows into the Trinity River. A small pond is near the south end of Foster
Park, and at the very end, Kellis Park is only slightly discontinuous from
Foster Park (across Granbury Road) –– bringing the total length of all three
parks to nearly 3 miles.
PLANTS OF OVERTON AND FOSTER PARKS
(this survey begun 2008, updated
as new species encountered)
Acer barbatum Southern sugar maple Native to east Texas, planted here
Acer negundo Ash-leaf maple Native here, naturally occurring
Acer palmatum Japanese maple Non-native, planted
Ailanthus altissima Tree-of-heaven Non-native, naturalized
Albizia julibrissin Mimosa Non-native, naturalized
Bumelia lanuginosa Chittamwood, gum bumelia Native here, naturally occurring
Carya illinoiensis Pecan Native here, naturally occurring, some planted
Celtis laevigata Hackberry Native here, naturally occurring
Cercis canadensis Redbud Native here, naturally occurring
Cornus florida Dogwood Native to Texas, but not
this far west, planted here
Elaeagnus angustifolia Russian olive Non-native, planted
Firmiana simplex Parasol tree Non-native, naturalized
Fraxinus berlandieriana Berlandier ash Native here, naturally occurring
Fraxinus pensylvanica Green ash Native here, naturally occurring
Fraxinus albicans Texas ash Native here, naturally occurring
Gleditsia triacanthos Honey locust Native here, naturally occurring
Juglans nigra Black walnut Native here, naturally occurring
Juniperus virginiana Eastern juniper Native here, naturally occurring
Liquidambar styraciflua Sweetgum Native to east Texas, planted here
Liriodendron tulipifera Tuliptree Native to eastern USA, planted here
Maclura pomifera Osage orange, bois d’arc Native here, naturally occurring
Magnolia grandiflora Southern magnolia Native to east Texas, planted here, also naturalizing
Magnolia soulangeana Japanese magnolia Non-native, planted
Melia azederach Chinaberry Non-native, naturalized
Morus alba White mulberry Non-native, naturalized
Morus rubra Red mulberry Native here, naturally occurring
Pistacia chinensis Chinese pistacio Non-native, planted
Populus deltoides Cottonwood Native here, naturally occurring
Prunus caroliniana Cherry laurel Native to east Texas,
naturalized here
Prunus mexicana Mexican plum Native here, naturally occurring
Prunus persica Peach
Non-native, planted
Prunus sp. Cherry Non-native, planted
Pyrus calleryana Bradford pear Non-native, planted
Pyrus communis Common pear Non-native, planted
Quercus buckleyi Buckley oak, Texas oak Native here, naturally occurring
Quercus muehlenbergii? Chestnut oak, chinquapin oak Native to Texas, planted here
Quercus macrocarpa Bur oak Native here, naturally occurring
Quercus shumardii Shumard oak Native to east Texas, planted here
Salix nigra Black willow Native here, naturally occurring
Sapindus drummondii Soapberry Native here, naturally occurring
Triadica sebifera Chinese tallow Non-native, naturalized
Taxodium distichum Bald cypress Native to Texas, planted here
Ulmus americana American elm Native here, naturally occurring
Ulmus crassifolia Cedar elm Native here, naturally occurring
Ulmus parvifolia Chinese elm, lacebark elm Non-native, planted
Ulmus rubra Slippery elm Native here, naturally occurring
Abelia floribunda Abelia Non-native, planted
Buxus sempervirens Boxwood Non-native, planted
Caesalpinia gilliesii Poinciana Non-native, planted
Celastrus scandens Bittersweet Native to n USA, naturalized here
Chilopsis linearis Desert willow Native to south Texas, planted here
Cornus drummondii Rough-leaf dogwood Native here, naturally occurring
Euonymus japonicus Euonymus Non-native, planted
Forestiera pubescens Elbow bush Native here, naturally occurring
Ilex decidua Deciduous holly Native here, naturally occurring
Ilex vomitoria Yaupon Native to east Texas, planted here
Juniperus sabina Tam juniper Non-native, planted
Lagerstroemia indica Crepe myrtle Non-native, planted
Leucophyllum frutescens Leucophyllum Native to south Texas, planted here
Ligustrum japonicum Japanese privet Non-native, planted
Ligustrum lucidum Glossy privet Non-native, naturalized
Ligustrum quihoui Quihoui privet Non-native, naturalized
Ligustrum sinense Chinese privet Non-native, naturalized
Lonicera maackii Amur honeysuckle Non-native, naturalized
Myrica cerifera Bayberry Native to east Texas, planted here
Nandina domestica Nandina Non-native, planted and naturalized
Photinia Xfraseri Fraser’s photinia Non-native, planted
Photinia serratifolia Chinese photinia Non-native, naturalized
Podocarpus macrophyllus Japanese yew Non-native, planted
Pyracantha koidzumii Fire-thorn Non-native, naturalized
Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac Native here, naturally occurring
Sambucus canadensis Elderberry Native here, naturally occurring
Sophora affinis Eve’s necklace Native here, naturally occurring
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Coralberry Native here, naturally occurring
Viburnum rufidulum Rusty black haw Native here, naturally occurring
Yucca flaccida Yucca Non-native, planted
Justicia americana American water willow Native here, naturally occurring
Ruellia strepens Ruellia Native here, naturally occurring
Alternanthera caracasana Mat chaff flower Non-native, naturalized
Narcissus pseudonarcissus Daffodil Non-native, planted, some perhaps naturalized
ANACARDIACEAE Sumac Family
Toxicodendron radicans Poison ivy Native here, naturally occurring
Hydrocotyle verticillata Whorled water pennywort Native here, naturally occurring
Torilis arvensis Hedge parsley Non-native, naturalized
Torilis nodosa Knotted hedge parsley Non-native, naturalized
Acmella oppositifolia var. repens Creeping spotflower Native here, naturally occurring
Ambrosia artemisiifolia Common ragweed Native here, naturally occurring
Ambrosia trifida Giant ragweed Native here, naturally occurring
Calyptocarpus vialis Horse herb Native here, naturally occurring
Cirsium texanum Texas thistle Native here, naturally occurring
Conyza canadensis Horseweed Native here, naturally occurring
Coreopsis wrightii Rock coreopsis Native here, naturally occurring
Engelmannia peristenia Cutleaf daisy Native here, naturally occurring
Evax verna Evax Native here, naturally occurring
Facelis retusa Facelis Non-native, naturalized
Gamochaeta pensylvanica Cudweed Native to e USA, naturalize here
Hedypnois cretica Hedypnois Non-native, naturalized
Lactuca serriola Prickly lettuce Non-native, naturalized
Pyrrhopappus carolinianus Carolina false dandelion Native here, naturally occurring
Sonchus asper Prickly sow thistle Non-native, naturalized
Symphyotrichum divaricatum Wireweed, slim aster Native here, naturally occurring
Symphyotrichum eulae Eula’s aster Native here, naturally occurring
Taraxacum laevigatum Red-fruit dandelion Non-native, naturalized
Taraxacum officinale Common dandelion Non-native, naturalized
Tragopogon dubius Goat’s beard Non-native, naturalized
Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd’s purse Non-native, naturalized
Lepidium virginicum Pepper grass Native here, naturally occurring
Nasturtium officinale Watercress Non-native, naturalized
Rapistrum rugosum Rapistrum Non-native, naturalized
Rorippa palustris Bog yellowcress Native
Lonicera japonica Japanese honeysuckle Non-native, naturalized
CARYOPHYLLACEAE Pink Family
Polycarpon tetraphyllum Four-leaf manyseed Non-native, naturalized
Stellaria media Chickweed Non-native, naturalized
CELASTRACEAE Bittersweet Family
Euonymus fortunei Creeping euonymus Non-native, naturalized
Chenopodium album Pigweed Non-native, naturalized
Chenopodium berlandieri Pit-seed goosefoot Native here, naturally occurring
Commelina communis Common dayflower Native here, naturally occurring
Convolvulus arvensis Bindweed Non-native, naturalized
Dichondra carolinensis Ponyfoot Native here, naturally occurring
Ipomoea cordatotriloba Morning glory, tievine Native here, naturally occurring
Ipomoea coccinea Scarlet creeper Native here, naturally occurring
Carex sp. Sedge Native here, naturally occurring
Carex sp. Sedge Native here, naturally occurring
Carex sp. Sedge Native here, naturally occurring
Chamaesyce maculata Spotted spurge Native here, naturally occurring
Ditaxis humilis Low wild mercury Native here, naturally occurring
Desmanthus leptolobus Prairie mimosa Native here, naturally occurring
Medicago lupulina Black Medic, hop clover Non-native, naturalized
Medicago minima Bur clover Non-native, naturalized
Sesbania herbacea Coffee bean sesbane Native here, naturally occurring
Trifolium repens White clover Non-native, naturalized
Vicia sativa Common vetch Non-native, naturalized
Erodium cicutarium Pin-clover, filaree Non-native, naturalized
Geranium dissectum European crane’s-bill Non-native, naturalized
Lamium amplexicaule Henbit Non-native, naturalized
Lamium purpureum Purple dead-nettle Non-native, naturalized
Salvia greggii Gregg’s sage Native to s, c, and w Texas, planted here
Allium canadense Wild onion, Canada garlic Native here, naturally occurring
Allium drummondii Prairie onion Native here, naturally occurring
Liriope spicata Lilyturf, small monkey-grass Non-native, naturalized
Muscari racemosum Grape hyacinth Non-native, naturalized
Nothoscordum bivalve Crow lily Native here, naturally occurring
Ophiopogon japonicus Monkey-grass Non-native, naturalized?
Smilax bona-nox Catbrier, saw greenbrier Native here, naturally occurring
Modiola caroliniana Carolina modiola Native here, naturally occurring
Cocculus carolina Coralvine, coralbead Native here, naturally occurring
Gaura drummondii Sweet gaura Native here, naturally occurring
Oenothera speciosa Buttercup Native here, naturally occurring
Oxalis dillenii Dillen’s woodsorrel Native here, naturally occurring
Argemone polyanthemos White prickly poppy Native here, naturally occurring
Passiflora lutea Yellow passionflower Native here, naturally occurring
Plantago lanceolata English plantain Non-native, naturalized
Plantago rhodosperma Red-seed plantain Native here, naturally occurring
Avena fatua Wild oats Non-native, naturalized
Avena sativa Cultivated oats Non-native, naturalized
Bothriochloa ischaemum King Ranch bluestem Non-native, naturalized
Bromus catharticus Rescue grass Non-native, naturalized
Bromus japonicus Japanese brome Non-native, naturalized
Bromus secalinus Rye brome Non-native, naturalized
Buchloe dactyloides Buffalo grass Native here, naturally occurring
Chasmanthium latifolium Wild oats Native here, naturally occurring
Chloris verticillata Windmill grass Native here, naturally occurring
Cynodon dactylon Bermuda grass Non-native, naturalized
Elymus virginicus Virginia wild rye Native here, naturally occurring
Lolium perenne Italian ryegrass Non-native, naturalized
Paspalum dilatatum Dallis grass Non-native, naturalized
Poa annua Annual bluegrass Non-native, naturalized
Phyllostachys aurea Golden bamboo Non-native, naturalized
Sorghum halepense Johnson grass Non-native, naturalized
Polygonum aviculare Prostrate knotweed Non-native, naturalized
Rumex crispus Curly dock Non-native, naturalized
Clematis ternifolia Sweet autumn clematis Non-native, naturalized
Ranunculus ficaria Lesser celandine Non-native, naturalized
Ranunculus muricatus Rough-seed buttercup Non-native, naturalized
Geum canadense White avens Native here, naturally occurring
Galium aparine Bedstraw Non-native, naturalized
Sherardia arvensis Field madder Non-native, naturalized
Veronica arvensis Common speedwell Non-native, naturalized
Veronkica persica Persian speedwell Non-native, naturalized
Glandularia bipinnatifida Prairie verbena Native here, naturally occurring
Phyla nodiflora Common frogfruit Native here, naturally occurring
Viola sororia Bayou violet Native here, naturally occurring
VISCACEAE
Phoradendron leucarpum Mistletoe Native here, naturally occurring
Cissus incisa Cowitch Native here, naturally occurring
Vitis mustangensis Mustang grape Native here, naturally occurring
Vitis vulpina Fox grape Native here, naturally occurring
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Guy Nesom, www.guynesom.com
Last update 20 November 2013