The National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) Coastal Prairie Research Program defines the coastal prairie region as "the habitats that occur within the western gulf coast area and includes the coastal prairie grasslands as well as adjacent and included wetlands and uplands. Ecological conditions within the coastal prairie region vary from the coast inland and from east to west with major gradients in hydric, saline, and climatic features."

The National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) Coastal Prairie Research Program defines the coastal prairie region as "the habitats that occur within the western gulf coast area and includes the coastal prairie grasslands as well as adjacent and included wetlands and uplands. Ecological conditions within the coastal prairie region vary from the coast inland and from east to west with major gradients in hydric, saline, and climatic features."

The Program also states that "[w]hile the coastal prairie contains a great deal of vegetation common with the central and northern "true prairie," there are some plants in the coastal prairie community that are only found in this system. One such endemic is the prairienymph ( Herbertia lahue var. cerulea ). The prairienymph is a member of the iris family and is fairly common in the prairies of Texas though rare in the adjoining Cajun prairie. Its rarity may be due to the severe loss of habitat in Louisiana and possibly also from a reduction of native pollinators.

Other southern prairie natives are the bearded grass pink orchid ( Calopogon barbatus ) and tuberous grasspink ( C. tuberosus ) which both favor savannas and swamps; Oklahoma grasspink ( C. oklahomensis ) inhabits moist to dry prairie, where it grows alongside the dominant grasses."

Below are additional resources and information from the NBII Catalog pertaining to the coastal prairie.