The general definition of 'native' is 'not introduced'. It is a historical criterion, not an ecological one, and it rests entirely on absence of evidence for introduction. That definition has not changed at all since it was first fully codified in England in 1847.
David McNeely's claim that "Post oak has been in Texas probably for much of its existence as a species" suggests that Texas has been Texas for a very long time indeed. But Texas, as a place identified by various sets of boundaries, is itself "post European" by the standard David provided. By 1847 Texas was already flying the fifth of its six European-derived flags, during the Mexican-American War. And of course, post oak certainly isn't endemic to any version of Texas, no matter how expansively imagined; most post oaks have not been in Texas in any way. The tree hasn't even been called 'post oak' for "much of its existence as a species". Whether it was a species at all before being described and named _Quercus_stellata_ by Friederich Adam Julius von Wangenheim late in the 18th century is arguable, but it is certain that _Quercus_stellata_ translates more literally to "star oak" than "post oak". Very Texan. While this is all good semantic fun, it also draws attention serious conceptual weaknesses in our vague ideas and ideals of place-based belonging. For more, see http://asu.academia.edu/MattChew/Papers/450641/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Biotic_Nativeness_A_Historical_Perspective a.k.a. chapter 4 of Richardson's "Fifty Years of Invasion Ecology: The Legacy of Charles Elton." Matthew K Chew Assistant Research Professor Arizona State University School of Life Sciences ASU Center for Biology & Society PO Box 873301 Tempe, AZ 85287-3301 USA Tel 480.965.8422 Fax 480.965.8330 [email protected] or [email protected] http://cbs.asu.edu/people/profiles/chew.php http://asu.academia.edu/MattChew
