28 July 2022.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Growing along Boiling Creek tributary of the Yellow River and reached by boat.
Coordinates: 30.5787, -86.8870
(Map it)
Elevation: 2m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Trees are typically found growing in part to full sun in permanently saturated to submersed conditions along the edge of the Boiling Creek, a slow-moving fresh water creek. Trees are growing in association with a wide array of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs and perennial plant species. This species requires acidic conditions. The underlying geology of this area is classified as Alluvium, of Pleistocene/Holocene origin and consists of undifferentiated Quaternary sediments of varying thickness including siliciclastics, organics and freshwater carbonates. The siliciclastics are light gray, tan, brown to black, unconsolidated to poorly consolidated, clean to clayey, silty, unfossiliferous, variably organic-bearing sands to blue green to olive green, poorly to moderately consolidated, sandy, silty clays. Organics occur as plant debris, roots, disseminated organic matrix and beds of peat. Freshwater carbonates, often referred to as marls in the literature, are scattered.
Number of plants sampled: 21
Associated species: Rhododendron serrulatum, Rhododendron [unnamed tetraploid form], Nyssa biflora, Chamaecyparis thyoides, Lyonia lucida, Hypericum fasciculatum, Nymphaea odorata, Smilax laurifolia, Sarracenia leucophylla, Cyrilla racemiflora, Sabatia dodecandra, Taxodium ascendens, Ilex cassine, Fraxinus caroliniana, Acer rubrum, Orontium aquaticum, Pontederia cordata, Pieris phillyreifolia, Lilium iridollae, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Potamogeton pectinatus, Nuphar advena, Osmunda regalis, Typha sp.
Comment: Single- to multi-trunked broadleaved evergreen trees reaching 5-10 meters tall with an upright spreading habit and layered branching character. Leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, thick and leathery, obovate to lanceolate, 3 cm to 4 cm long, dark green and shiny above, lighter below, with a prominent midrib and very short petioles. Fruit 2-5-winged drupe that closely resemble the fruit of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum); yellow-green changing to brown.
Collector(s):