21 October 2022.
Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Locality: Plants growing in woodlands above a small unnamed creek that dumps into the Middle Branch White Clay Creek in Goddard Park, West Grove Pennsylvania, off of Wickerton Road, Chester County. Plants are found regularly but scattered in the understory of the woodlands.
Coordinates: 39.8043, -75.8261
(Map it)
Elevation: 105m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants growing in a mesic, well-drained habitat of deciduous woodlands along streams and above the riparian zone that drains toward a small unnamed creek that feeds into the Middle Branch White Clay Creek. Plants generally grow in part shade to full sun, but perform best and fruit more heavily in full sun where there is abundant access to moisture. The remnant woodlands exist mostly along the steep slopes, wetlands and seeps of seasonal and year-round creeks flowing into the Middle Branch White Clay Creek. The woodlands are bordered by numerous housing developments and land converted to meadows; hence there is significant first order edge that is heavily impacted by invasive plant intrusion. Despite this fact, Acer negundo is highly competitive and competes well.
Soils: The underlying geology of this area is the Glenarm Wissahickon Formation of lower Paleozoic origin and lithologically similar to oligoclase-mica schist of the Wissahickon Formation (PZw), but also includes lenticular amphibolite bodies having ocean-floor basalt chemistry.
Source: USGS Pennsylvania Geologic Map Data (https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=PAPZgw%3B0)
The primary soil type in the area of this collection is classified as Glenelg silt loam, 3 to 8 percent slopes. This series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in residuum weathered from micaceous schist on uplands of the Blue Ridge and the Northern Piedmont. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high in the subsoil and moderately high to high in the substratum. This upper horizon of this soil is undifferentiated, mostly poorly drained sandy bottomland soils intermingled with decomposing organic litter and eroded silts and clays due to erosion.
Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey (https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx)
Number of plants sampled: 2
Associated species: Fagus grandifolia, Lindera benzoin, Carya glabra, Liriodendron tulipifera, Viburnum dentatum, Cornus alternifolia, Maianthemum racemosum, Viburnum prunifolium, Carex pensylvanica, Actaea racemosa, Carpinus caroliniana, Juglans nigra, Smilax glabra, Polystichum acrostichoides, Toxicodendron radicans, Acer rubrum, Smilax rotundifolia, Asarum canadense, Collinsonia canadensis, Fraxinus pensylvanica, Vitis riparia, Ilex verticillata, Quercus rubra, Phytolacca americana, Nyssa sylvatica, Rubus hispidus, Eurybia divaricata, Ageratina altissima, Boehmeria cylindrica, Epifagus virginiana, Ulmus americana, Penthorum sedoides, Circaea canadensis, Echinocystis lobata, Sanguinaria canadensis, Quercus velutina, Malus angustifolia, Vitis vulpina, Betula lenta, Robinia pseudoacacia, Quercus alba, Dioscorea villosa, Hamamelis virginiana, Pilea pumila, Ribes sp., Monotropa uniflora, Erythronium americanum, Podophyllum peltatum, Claytonia virginica, Anemone quinquefolia, Geranium maculatum, Polygonatum biflorum, Viola sp., Persicaria perfoliata, Allium sp., Crataegus sp., Carya tomentosa, Erigeron annuus, Solidago caesia, Plantago major, Amelanchier arborea, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, Laporte canadensis, Viburnum acerifolium
Comment: This species is typically single- and multi-stemmed, deciduous broad-spreading trees with an irregular habit. Trees range from 5-15 meters tall and up to 11 meters wide. The bark of mature trees is light grey and smooth, but becomes furrowed into narrow, firm ridges and darkens with age. Twigs are stout, light green to brownish with a polished look or are often covered with a whitish bloom that is easily rubbed off. This species has pinnately compound leaves with three to seven leaflets that range from 15-38 cm long. They are light green above and greyish green below, usually without hairs. The leaflets are shallowly lobed or coarsely toothed. Fruit is a samara that is tan to light brown when mature; each samara ranges in from 3.5-5.0 cm long. Several samaras are borne axillary together on long, drooping clusters.
Collector(s):