Green plants, such as trees and grass, are organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae, while molds, lichens, and mushrooms belong to the kingdom Fungi. Members of the plant and fungal kindoms are of economic and ecological importance to the Central Southwest and Gulf Coast region. Plants transform solar energy into usable products and generate oxygen as a product of photosynthesis. Fungi mediate critical biological and ecological processes including the breakdown of organic matter and recycling of nutrients. They also play important roles in mutualistic associations with plants and animals. Some fungi produce commercially valuable substances such as antibiotics and ethanol, while others are pathogenic and cause damage to crops and forest trees. Because plants and fungi play such fundamental roles in our lives, it is important to learn more about them.

For an overview on plants and fungi, see Plants: in Our Living Resources: A Report to the Nation on the Distribution, Abundance, and Health of U.S. Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems. Below are additional resources and information from the NBII Catalog pertaining to plants in the Central Southwest/Gulf Coast region. Searches can be narrowed to a particular state by typing the state's name into the search box.