Valley Bragging Rights for Record Texas Trees
Norman Rozeff
January 2010

The Texas Forest Service maintains a unique registry. It is a listing of champion big tree species within the state. Naturally Texas with its huge size and diversity has numerous tree species—291 to be exact in its 11 eco-regions. In this list there are 103 species with no current champion. A scanning of the list indicates obvious omissions, at least where the Valley is concerned. For instance there are no Ficus species such as banyans and Bo trees so common here.

Trees qualifying to be in this registry are selected based on a "tree index" formula. In the index's calculations are the tree's circumference in inches at 4 ½ ' above the ground, one-quarter of the average crown spread in feet, and the tree's total height in feet. Only one trunk trees qualify. Champions must be re-measured every ten years.

The Valley has its share of champions, most being submitted from Hidalgo County. From Hidalgo come barreta, Helietta parvifolia; guoyacan, Texas Lignum vitae; spiny hackberry, Celtis pallida; holdback or Mexican poinciana, Caesalpinia mexicana; huajillo, Harvardia pallens; huisachillo or twisted acacia, A. schaffneri var. bravoensis; lotebrush, Ziziphus obtusifolia; Rio Grande Palmetto or sabal palm, Sabal erianthum; saffron plum or coma, Sideroxylon celastrinium; mountain or Sierra Madre torchwood, Amyris madrensis; narrowleaf or sandbar willow, Salix exigua.

In Cameron County are bald cypress, Taxodium mucronatum; brush holly, Xyosma spinosa; retama or Jerusalem thorn, Parkinsonia aculeate; and it also has a co-champion sabal palm. Starr County has but one champion. This is its crown of thorns, Koeberlina spinosa.

The fact is that the LRGV is missing bragging rights by not submitting nominations for more of its likely record trees in the region. Due to its semi-tropical climate and its aridity there are both native and introduced species unique to the area. Because they may exist in a residential setting where they received ample water and fertilizer over time they may have grown to extraordinary size. Some species that come readily to mind are: the Royal Poinciana or flamboyant, the yellow Poinciana, orchid tree, crepe myrtle, jacaranda, oleander, golden shower, octopus or umbrella tree, Norfolk Island pine, goldenball and other lead trees of the Leucaena family, various ash species, Brazilian and Peruvian pepper trees, golden rain, lavender or chaste tree, silk oak, Mimosa, Chinese tallow, chinaberry and , of course the Ficus as noted above. Add to this native and wild types as black willow, Mexican or wild olive, short and long leaf retama, huisache, athel or tamarix, horsetail casuarinas, anacua, and ebony and the possibilities greatly expand. Then too there are 15-20 varieties of palm trees, many of which are restricted to the Valley because of their cold sensitivity. Most numerous of these are the Coco plumosa, Washingtonia, royal phoenix, palmetto, and sago palms. The Palm Society of South Texas could well tell us more on this subject. Are there also some freeze-escaped giant citrus trees in someone's back yard?

Some thirty years ago the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge gave publicity to some of its sizeable giants. These included a soapbrush, Texas polieria; a mesquite with a 150" circumference; a Mexican ash, Berlandia, 194" around; a Brazil bluewood, Condalaia hooker ; and near the old cemetery an ebony 14' in circumference and believed to be over 300 years old. Whether these trees still survive is being investigated. A short newspaper article recently noted that the refuge was hand watering some important trees during the drought to ensure their continued viability.

There is no question but that the Valley can qualify more record big trees. Go to http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/uploadedFiles/FRD/Urban_Forestry/Big_Tree_Registry/BTR-NativeNaturalized(2).pdf for a list of trees and http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/default.aspx for measuring rules. Searching and measuring might be a challenging and worthwhile project for a science or biology class as well as for the many nature groups here in the Valley. A math class and the Pythagorean theorem may also be need to calculate tree height.

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