12 September 2022.
Chesapeake City County, Virginia, United States
Locality: Northwest River Park on the south side of Indian Springs Road behind the Equestrian Center along a bridle trail. This plant is a common in the mesic woodlands at this location.
Coordinates: 36.5836, -76.1628
(Map it)
Elevation: 21m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants growing in shade to part-shade of the mixed deciduous and evergreen mesic woodland about 1 to 2 meters above a nearby wetland area.
The underlying geology of this area is the Tabb Formation of Quaternary origin which is comprised of undifferentiated sand, silt, and peat and subdivided into three members. Within the Tabb Formation lies the Lynnhaven Member with pebbly and cobbly, fine to coarse gray sand grades upward into clayey and silty fine sand and sandy silt. Extensive low lands bounded on the landward side by river-, bay-, and ocean-facing scarps having toe altitudes of 5-6 meters. Thickness is 0 to 6.5 meters.
Source: USGS Virginia Geologic Map Data (https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=VAQtl%3B0)
The surface soil profile of this area is Chapanoke-Yeopim complex, 0 to 3 percent slopes. These soil as somewhat poorly to moderately drained, acidic, and found on marine terraces and summits of low elevation coastal plain areas. They are comprised of silt loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay loam and loam in varying quantities across the profile; the depth to parent geology is approximately 200 cm.
Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey (https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx)
Number of plants sampled: 3
Associated species: Acer rubrum, Amelanchier sp., Arundinaria gigantea, Asimina triloba, Carpinus caroliniana, Carya glabra, Carya cordiformis, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Cornus florida, Cornus foemina, Crataegus phaenopyrum, Euonymus americana, Fagus grandifolia, Gaylussacia dumosa, Hamamelis virginiana, Hypericum sp., Ilex opaca, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera, Microstegium vimineum, Muscadinia rotundifolia, Nyssa sylvatica, Oxydendrum arboreum, Pinus taeda, Quercus alba, Quercus michauxii, Quercus falcata, Quercus nigra, Sassafras albidum, Smilax sp., Styrax grandifolius, Symplocos tinctoria, Tipularia discolor, Vaccinium corymbosum, Woodwardia areolata
Comment: Plants in this community are single- and multi-stemmed shrubs to small trees with an arching to spreading habit. Mature plants range in size from 2-4 meters tall x 1-3.5 meters wide. The branches diverge horizontally such that the leaves and twigs appear to be in one plane. Bark of mature plants ranges from reddish-brown on young stems to grayish brown and flaking on oldest stems. The leaves are simple, alternate, and ovate to elliptic with acute tips. The leaves range from 5-10 cm long x 3-5 cm wide. Fleshy sub-globose green capsules are borne axillary on the top of branches; at maturity they dry, shatter to disperse 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. Interestingly, several Stewartia in this location were developing fall color on oldest leaves; furthermore, very few fruit were present.
Collector(s):