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TODAY'S HOURS: 8 AM – 5 PM

*Last entry is an hour before closing

Category: Research Projects

Research Projects

The Living Roof

The urban environment is an ecosystem in itself. With this living roof, BRIT is bringing a functional, native Texas ecosystem back into the built environment. Rather than just looking for plants that can survive in hot environments, BRIT asked the question, “What are the environmental parameters of a roof and what are its analog and native environs?”

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Current Research

Green Roof Research: Cover and diversity

Byerley Best, B. and R.K. Swadek. 2019. Plant cover & diversity on a young prairie-style green roof relative to slope position & planting assemblage. Poster presentation at Botany 2019, annual conference of the Botanical Society of America, 27-31 Jul 2019, Tucson, Arizona, USA.

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View from Andes looking toward the Amazon river basin
Biodiversity and Floristics

Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program in Peru (AABP)

The region where the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains meet the Amazonian lowlands harbors one of the greatest concentrations of biological diversity on Earth. Thousands of species and many complex tropical ecosystems exist along an altitudinal gradient from 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) in the Andes to 200 meters (650 feet) in the Amazonian lowlands.

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Rare Plant Surveys and Monitoring

Physaria engelmannii

The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area spans two ecoregions, the Cross Timbers and the Northern Blackland Prairie (Gould et al. 1960). The Blackland Prairie begins on the eastern side of the metroplex in Hunt, Kaufman, and Ellis counties, includes most to all of Collin and Dallas counties, and the eastern edges of Denton, Tarrant, and Johnson counties (Gould et al. 1960).

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Biodiversity and Floristics

The BRIT Prairie

The purpose of the prairie on the BRIT Landscape is to provide the public a glimpse of the aesthetics of natural or native landscapes, reduce BRIT’s demand for water resources, be a valuable source for research into restoration of prairies in urban environments, and provide a model for habitat restoration and ecological connectivity. The culture of the region arose in the context of prairies.

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Rare Plant Surveys and Monitoring

Pediomelum reverchonii

Pediomelum reverchonii (S. Watson) Rydb. (Fabaceae) or Reverchon’s scurfpea, is a bushy-branched perennial forb growing to 120 cm in height (Diggs et al. 1999). Flowers are purple, 10 to 15 mm long. Inflorescences are arranged in a loose spike-like raceme with three to seven flowers each at the ends of stems. Pediomelum reverchonii often co-occurs with other similar members of the genus, including P. linearifolium, P. cuspidatum, and P. cyphocalyx.

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Rare Plant Surveys and Monitoring

Pediomelum cyphocalyx

Pediomelum cyphocalyx (A.Gray) Rydb. (Fabaceae) is a perennial herb with a tuberous root up to 2 cm in diameter. It grows to a height of up to 1 m, with stems usually solitary, erect, and simple or sparingly branched above (Rydberg 1919, Diggs et al. 1999). It can be distinguished from the other species in the genus within the region by the presence of cauline leaves, dense, many-flowered spike-like inflorescence, peduncles exceeding the subtending petioles, and linear-lanceolate or narrowly oblong-lanceolate leaflets (Diggs et al. 1999).

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Biodiversity and Floristics

Biodiversity Assessment: All Saints’ Episcopal School

This project involves conducting a detailed biodiversity assessment to be used for the development and implementation of a natural resource management plan for the 33 acres of undeveloped land included in the 147-acre campus of All Saints’ Episcopal School (ASES) in Fort Worth, Texas. The property also includes a 12-acre natural area with a wetland, riparian area, native grassland, orchard, and vegetable garden.

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Rare Plant Surveys and Monitoring

Isoetes butleri

Isoetes butleri is a fern ally that grows in limestone outcrops across most of the Eastern United States. The species was known to occur in a few sites in Texas but was unknown in north central Texas. BRIT botanists discovered the species in the limestone prairies of north central Texas, where it appears to be very common, with 125 populations. The species is a common member of limestone glade seep communities. It can be seen in shallow soil overtop of limestone bedrock in areas where seasonal seepage keeps the ground wet during the spring.

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