01 August 2022.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Woodlands at the north end of the parking lot at Chumukla Springs Boat Ramp to the Escambia River.
Coordinates: 30.8308, -87.2975
(Map it)
Elevation: 9m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Growing as an understory element in high understory dappled shade under well-drained conditions in mixed deciduous and evergreen flatwoods, surrounded by drainage areas and nearby marshlands of the Escambia River. 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: 11
Associated species: Smilax pumila, Ditrysinia fruticosa, Vaccinium corymbosum, Magnolia grandiflora, Oxydendrum arboreum, Fagus grandifolia, Muscadinia rotundifolia, Hamamelis virginiana, Callicarpa americana, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Ilex opaca, Symplocos tinctoria, Hexastylis arifolia, Halesia carolina, Vaccinium elliottii, Halesia diptera, Persea borbonia, Sassafras albidum, Rhododendron austrinum, Erythrina herbacea, Amelanchier arborea, Smilax sp.
Comment: This species is a single- and multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, with a spreading habit observed at this location to be growing 3-6 meters tall. Branches are widely spreading, often with multiple stems, creating a width of 3-5 meters wide. The branches diverge horizontally such that the leaves and twigs appear to be in one plane. The leaves are simple, alternate, and ovate to elliptic with acute tips. The leaves are 5-10 cm long and 3-5 cm wide. Fleshy sub-globose green capsules are borne axillary on the top of branches; at maturity they dry, becoming woody and split open to expose the flat, slightly winged brown seed; capsules range in size from 1.2-1.6 cm long × 1.2-1.8 cm wide; while green, they are very pubescent.
Collector(s):