Editing Brownsville, Texas (section)

===Flora and soil===
[[File:Sabal mexicana 1.jpg|thumb|160px|The ''[[Sabal mexicana]]'' (Texas sabal palm) is a native plant species in Brownsville.]]

Broadleaf evergreen plants, including [[Arecaceae|palms]], dominate Brownsville neighborhoods to a greater degree than other locations in Texas, including nearby cities such as [[Harlingen, Texas|Harlingen]] and [[McAllen, Texas|McAllen]]. Brownsville is home to the ''[[Sabal mexicana]]'',<ref name="flora"/> the only species of [[palmetto palm]] native to Texas with a significant trunk (''[[Sabal minor]]'', also native to Texas, is nearly trunkless).<ref>{{cite news |last1=McLeod |first1=Gerald |title=Day Trips: Sabal Palm Sanctuary, Brownsville |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2018-11-30/day-trips-sabal-palm-sanctuary-brownsville/ |access-date=January 1, 2019 |work=[[The Austin Chronicle]] |date=November 30, 2018 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103004907/https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2018-11-30/day-trips-sabal-palm-sanctuary-brownsville/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Though it used to cover a large portion of the land next to the Rio Grande, the city contains one of the last native stands of ''S. mexicana''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gaskill |first1=Melissa |title=3 Days In The Field |url=https://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2015/jun/threedays_brownsville/ |access-date=January 1, 2019 |work=Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine |date=June 2015 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103005019/https://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2015/jun/threedays_brownsville/ |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Citharexylum berlandieri]]'' (Tamaulipan fiddlewood),<ref name="flora">{{cite news |title=South Texas Treasures |url=http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/eedition/a/5e/a5e1d32b-b189-5508-9fbb-b4d706ca6231/508248fac1951.pdf.pdf |access-date=January 1, 2019 |work=The Brownsville Herald |date=October 20, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=November 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> ''[[Rivina humilis]]'' (pigeonberry), and ''[[Leucophyllum frutescens]]'' (Texas sage) are also native flora.<ref name="flora"/>

Soils are mostly of clay to silty clay loam texture, moderately alkaline ([[soil pH|pH]]&nbsp;8.2) to strongly alkaline (pH&nbsp;8.5) and with a significant degree of [[soil salinity|salinity]] in many places;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx|title=Web Soil Survey|publisher=Websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov|access-date=September 21, 2013|archive-date=March 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302004416/http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> other types of soils present around the city include Cameron clay and sporadic amounts of Laredo silt loam. Due to Brownsville's proximity to the coast, Lomalta clay is common around the swamp areas of the vicinity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Soil map, Texas, Brownsville sheet |url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth19741/m1/1/ |website=[[University of North Texas]] |date=August 22, 1908 |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103004834/https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth19741/m1/1/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Several parts of the city have a high risk of localized flooding because of flat topography, ubiquitous low-[[Permeability (earth sciences)|permeability]] clay soils, and inadequate infrastructure funding.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baskette |first1=Aisha |title=City drainage report assess flood risks |url=https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/city-drainage-report-assess-flood-risks/article_24214b92-c576-11e5-8d8d-2711f7f4fa69.html |access-date=January 5, 2019 |work=The Brownsville Herald |date=January 27, 2016}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Geological Survey]], Brownsville's soils are primarily [[alluvium]] and windblown deposits.<ref name="usgs">{{cite web |title=Title: Geologic atlas of Texas, McAllen-Brownsville sheet |url=https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_16427.htm |website=National Geologic Map Database |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=March 12, 2019 |archive-date=August 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810221333/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_16427.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The majority of the city's soil is made of floodplain deposits from the Rio Grande; it consists of clay, sand, silt, gravel, and organic matter. Windblown deposits are made up of "active dunes and dune complexes" that contain mostly clay and silt near the coastal region and combination of clay, sand, and silt inland.<ref name="usgs"/>