COTTONWOOD BRANCH. Cottonwood Branch, a spring-fed intermittent stream, rises five miles northwest of Lometa in western Lampasas County (at 31°15' N, 98°27' W) and runs southwest for nine miles to its mouth on the Colorado River, about 1½ miles south of U.S. Highway 190 (at 31°12' N, 98°32' W). It crosses an area of the Grand Prairies characterized by flat to rolling hills with steep margins. The creek then passes into a region on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau characterized by steeply to moderately sloping hills. The area soils are shallow and stony sandy and clay loams that support vegetation including scrub brush, cacti, grasses, and open stands of live oaks, Ashe junipers, and mesquites. Elms can be found in some areas upstream.
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article."COTTONWOOD BRANCH," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rbcrh), accessed November 28, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.