Cameron Park wouldn’t be Cameron Park without its greenery.

Giant live oaks and gnarly cedars on the limestone cliffs give way to scalybark oaks, pecans and cedar elms in the valleys.

White trout lilies bloom along the creeks, bluebonnets along the roadway and honeysuckle, redbuds and Mexican plum along the Brazos River trail.

Nandina, a midsize yard shrub with bright red berries in the winter, is thriving in Cameron Park.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald

Although it’s right in the middle of the Texas blackland prairie, much of Cameron Park more resembles an eastern forest with its hardwoods and plant species, said Susan Bratton, chairwoman of the environmental sciences department at Baylor University.

But a lot of the natural diversity of the park is under siege by aggressive plants that were introduced by humans.

Yard favorites such as English ivy, vinca, nandina and ligustrum have outcompeted the natives and taken over whole sections of the 416-acre facility.

Bratton, who has been studying the invasives threat in Cameron Park for years with her students, identified bamboo as the biggest threat to native species.

Japanese honeysuckle also is a serious problem, choking out young trees before they have a chance to grow, she said.

Fred Gehlbach, a biologist and professor emeritus at Baylor, said the invasive species threat has worsened in the last few decades since he took his classes there.

He said he hopes the city will follow up its $9 million package of bond-funded park improvements with a plan to restore native species to the park.

“I think the improvements are all good, but the one thing bothersome is that there’s no effort to get rid of these exotic plants,” he said.

Sharon Fuller, city of Waco parks planner, said city officials have had long discussions about dealing with the exotic plant invasion and hope to battle it over the coming years.

The city already has had success in recent years battling bamboo at Proctor Springs.

But she said there’s no quick or easy solution to the problem.

“It’s a big challenge, because it’s not something you can just cut down, replant and walk away,” she said. “In some cases, removing exotic species is going to impact native vegetation.

“It’s a problem so big it’s going to take years to deal with it.”

Common and unusual plants at Cameron Park

Here are some of the common and not-so-common plants and trees that visitors can find at Cameron Park:

Natives

Cameron Park is one of 15 places in Texas where the white trout lily, or dog-tooth violet, has been documented.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald

White trout lily, or dog-tooth violet: Cameron Park one of only 15 locations in Texas where this delicate white flower has been documented.

White Missouri violet: Threatened by invasive shrubs and vines.

Baby blue-eyes: A low-growing plant in forested section of the park; blooms in March.

Ashe juniper: Close relative of the smaller red cedar, both common in Central Texas. Dominates the park’s chalky uplands.

Mexican buckeye: Native shrub offers pink flowers.

Resurrection ferns: These ferns grow on the limbs of oaks and other trees deep in the park; shriveled plants burst into leaf after rains.

Scalybark oak: These gnarled, shaggy trees are uncommon elsewhere in McLennan County.

Shumard oaks: Foliage of these oaks often turns crimson red in late fall.

Poison ivy: One of the most common — and bothersome — plants in the park. “Leaves of three, let it be.”

Invaders

The Japanese honeysuckle has sweet-smelling vines, which have choked out young trees along the park’s river trail.

Ligustrum, or Japanese privet: An escaped yard shrub that grows tall in Cameron Park, edging out native trees.

Arundo: A Mediterranean cane or giant reed that lines the river in places and is difficult to remove.

Japanese honeysuckle: Sweet-smelling vines have choked out young trees along the river trail.

Golden bamboo: An exotic and fast-spreading species thought to be introduced by fishermen. Bamboo forests have completely taken over several slopes in the park.

Nandina: Midsize yard shrub with bright red berries in winter has escaped into the park, where it thrives.

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