07 August 2022.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Eglin AFB, in woodlands along Weaver Creek accessed from unnamed dirt road, 0.82 kilometers west of junction with Eglin AFB 720; approximately 0.73 kilometers north of junction with Choctaw Nolf Airfield Road and Eglin AFB 720.
Coordinates: 30.5168, -86.9147
(Map it)
Elevation: 15m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Growing in moist, well-drained sandy soils above Weaver Creek in mixed broadleaved evergreen and deciduous woodland habitat in part shade to shade of west facing slopes several meters above the wetland zone. The Stewartia is growing in a high competition habitat. The underlying geology of this area is the Citronelle Formation, of Pliocene origin, and consists of gray to orange, often mottled, unconsolidated to poorly consolidated, very fine to very coarse, poorly sorted, clean to clayey sands. It contains significant amounts of clay, silt and gravel which may occur as beds and lenses and may vary considerably over short distances. Limonite nodules and limonite-cemented beds are common.
Number of plants sampled: 31
Associated species: Pinus clausa, Pinus taeda, Quercus falcata, Quercus hemisphaerica, Rhododendron serrulatum, Quercus gemminata, Gelsemium sempervirens, Oxydendrum arboreum, Hamamelis virginiana, Cartrema americanus, Vaccinum darrowii, Ilex coriacea, Ilex opaca, Magnolia ashei, Ditrysinia fruticosa, Prunus serotina, Magnolia grandiflora, Pieris phillyreifolia, Gaylussacia dumosa, Ostrya virginiana, Muscadinia rotundifolia, Dichanthelium sp., Bignonia capreolata, Callicarpa americana, Carya sp., Asiminia parviflora, Amelanchier arborea, Halesia diptera, Elephantopus sp., Chasmanthium sessiliflorus, Vaccinium elliottii, Mitchella repens, Parthenocissus quinquefolius, Cornus florida, Persea borbonia, Serenoa repens, Ilex glabra, Illicium floridanum, Castanea pumila, Diospyros virginiana, Halesia Carolina, Cyrilla racemiflora, Cliftonia monophylla, Smilax sp., Lyonia lucida, Ilex cassine, Vaccinium arboreum
Comment: Multi-stemmed shrubs with upright arching, spreading stems. Plants (1) 2-3 (4) meters tall, forming colonies by layering. The leaves are simple, alternate, and ovate to elliptic with acute-acuminate 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):