22 October 2022.
Cecil County, Maryland, United States
Locality: Elk Neck State Park: woodlands along Maryland Hwy 272, Turkey Point Road.
Coordinates: 39.4771, -75.9872
(Map it)
Elevation: 35m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants growing in shade to full sun on well-drained slopes of a mixed evergreen and deciduous woodland. Soils: The underlying geology of this area is the characterized as Upland Deposits (Eastern Shore) of Quaternary origin. This formation is characterized by gravel, sand, silt, and clay. Mostly cross-bedded, poorly sorted, medium- to coarse-grained white to red sand and gravel; boulders near base; minor pink and yellow silts and clays. The thickness of this formation ranges from 0 to 90 feet, locally thicker in paleochannels. (Source: USGS Maryland Geologic Map Data). The primary soil type in the area of this collection is classified as Sassafras and Croom soils, 15 to 25 percent slopes. These soils are typically fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, mesic typic hapludults that are strongly to extremely acid. The typical solum thickness ranges from 60-130 cm. These soils are generally well-drained. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey).
Number of plants sampled: 40
Associated species: Kalmia latifolia; Asimina triloba; Liquidambar styraciflua; Carya cordiformis; Nyssa sylvatica; Acer rubrum; Quercus montana; Smilax sp.; Quercus velutina; Gaylussacia baccata; Liriodendron tulipifera; Fagus grandifolia; Quercus alba; Carex sp.; Sassafras albidum; Ilex verticillata; Morella pensylvanica; Vaccinium corymbosum; Dennstaedtia punctilobula; Chasmanthium sessiliflorum; Osmunda regalis; Toxicodendron radicans; Carya glabra; Deparia acrostichoides; Carex digitalis.
Comment: This species is a dioecious, single-stemmed (occasionally multi-stemmed), broadleaved evergreen tree with an upright pyramidal habit. Older specimens become loose and open with an upright spreading, slightly pyramidal habit. Fruiting trees range from 5-15 meters tall and up to 6 meters wide. The bark of mature trees is light grey and smooth. Leaves are alternate, simple and evergreen, generally ovate to broadly ovate; leaves typically have 4-6 spines on each side of the leaf. Leaves are medium green and not shiny; they range from 5-10 cm long x 2-3 cm wide. The fruit are berries ripening in the autumn; they are round to ellipsoidal shaped, 6-12 mm in diameter, and bright--but not shiny--red.
Collector(s):