02 August 2022.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Corner of San Jose Street and South 28th Avenue just east of Avalon Beach, FL.
Coordinates: 30.5317, -87.0906
(Map it)
Elevation: 3m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Growing in full sun to part shade in moist to wet areas, often with sphagnum moss along the edges, just above the water in ditches and waterways. Population is so dense that plants are crowding out other species. 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: 51
Associated species: Cyrilla racemiflora, Clethra alnifolia, Lyonia lucida, Hypericum fasciculatum, Magnolia grandiflora, Acer rubrum, Ilex glabra, Liriodendron tulipifera, Muscadinia rotundifolia, Nyssa biflora, Illicium floridanum, Persea borbonia, Cliftonia monophylla, Morella cerifera, Rhododendron serrulatum, Quercus laurifolia, Leucothoe axillaris, Pinus elliotii, Viburnum sp., Quercus nigra, Vaccinium alleiottii, Viburnum nudum, Eriocaulon decangulare, Magnolia virginiana, Ilex vomitoria, Oxydendrum arboreum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Callicarpa americana, Vaccinium corymbosum, Ilex opaca, Aronia arbuitifolia, Castanea pumila
Comment: This species is an evergreen, dioecious, upright, spreading, multi-stemmed shrub ranging from 1-2.5 meters tall. Leaves are leathery and medium green, ranging from about 3.5-7.5 cm long x about 2-3 cm wide; leaf margins are either entire or with a few, irregularly spaced, marginal spinose prickles. Fruit are round, shiny black, and fleshy at maturity. Fruit range in size from 0.75-1.5 cm diameter they are borne on short pedicels (~1 cm long) individually or in clusters.
Collector(s):