Distribution
A Texas endemic (according to Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group web page). Texas Distribution: Aransas, Bell, Bexar, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Comal, Denton, Dewitt, Fayette, Goliad, Gonzales, Grimes, Hamilton, Jackson, Kinney, Kleberg, Lee, Llano, Madison, Menard, Milam, Navarro, Refugio, Robertson, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Sutton, Travis, Val Verde, and Washington counties. Correll and Johnston (1970), state that this species is found along several rivers, especially the Guadalupe, that drain the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. Tom Wendt (pers. comm 1998) states, "This description of range does not say that it is restricted to the Edwards Plateau in Texas, only that it is along rivers that originate there. Some of the above mentioned counties are E or SE of the Plateau, but in most the species occurs there along rivers coming from there; river-wise, our specimens are from along the Devil's (Sutton Co.), Guadalupe (Comal, DeWitt) and Colorado (Travis). On the other hand, the Brazos Co. specimen is on the Navasota River, which doesn't rise or flow through the Edwards Plateau. The Calhoun Co. one is from Matagorda Island, a barrier island where the Guadalupe hits the Gulf."
Habitat
In debris and piles of driftwood, often climbing into trees, along several rivers, especially the Guadalupe, that drain the Edwards Plateau in central Texas.
Important Literature
Correll, D.S. and M.C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. Texas Research Foundation, Renner, Texas.
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Second edition. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.
Bailey, L.H. 1943. Species of Cucurbita. Gertes Herbarum 6(5).
New Mexico Natural Heritage Program. 1998. Plants in Heritage Database.
The Gray Index. 1998. Web database.
Wendt, Tom. 1998. Curator of the TEX-LL Herbarium, Austin, TX. (Personal communication)
Wilson, Hugh. 1998. Texas Endemics: Distribution of Cucurbita texana. In: website publication at http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/endemics/endemic1.htm.
