24 October 2022.
Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States
Locality: Plants growing on the east side of Atlantic County Road 543, Green Bank Road, in wetlands of the Mullica River, approximately 1.01 kilometers southwest of the intersection with River Road in Green Bank, New Jersey. Plants are common but scattered on the east side of the road at this location.
Coordinates: 39.6047, -74.5938
(Map it)
Elevation: 2m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants grow in full sun to light shade throughout this permanently wet to inundated habitat that is comprised mostly of emergent and obligate wetland herbaceous plants, deciduous shrubs, and Chamaecyparis thyoides, none reaching more than 5-10 meters tall. There are small elevation changes throughout this wetland, but the location is surrounded by water year-round.
Soils: The underlying geology of this area is the Cohansey Formation of middle Miocene origin and comprised of sand, white to yellow with local gravel and clay. It is sometimes locally stained red or orange brown by iron oxides and (or) cemented into large blocks of ironstone. Unweathered clay is typically dark gray, but commonly weathers white where it is interbedded with thin beds of ironstone. Sand is typically medium grained and moderately sorted although it ranges from fine to very coarse grained and from poorly to well sorted. Sand consists of quartz and siliceous rock fragments. Some beds are locally micaceous. Maximum thickness in the map area is about 60 meters; however, thickness is difficult to determine because of the irregular basal contact and extensive post-depositional erosion.
Source: USGS New Jersey Geologic Map Data (https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=NJTch%3B1)
The primary soil type in the area of this collection is classified as Manahawkin muck, 0 to 2 percent slopes, frequently flooded. This soil is moderately high to high in the organic layers and high in the mineral layers comprised of sandy or sandy-skeletal, siliceous, dysic, mesic terric haplosaprists. This soil is considered extremely acid or very strongly acid in the surface tier and very strongly acid or strongly acid in the lower tiers and in the mineral substratum. The mineral content of organic layers ranges from 5 to 80 percent. Organic layers consist of mostly sapric material. Some pedons have subhorizons or a surface horizon of hemic material up to 25 cm. Woody fragments range from 0 to 50 percent, by volume, in the organic layers. These fragments are mostly twigs, branches, or logs ranging in size from 3 mm to 51 cm in diameter and completely break down when rubbed or crushed. The depth of this soil ranges from 0.2-2 meters. This soil is considered wet to inundated year-round.
Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey (https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx)
Number of plants sampled: 5
Associated species: Morella pensylvanica, Viburnum dentatum, Mikania scandens, Ilex verticillata, Chamaecyparis thyoides, Magnolia virginiana, Eubotrys racemosa, Clethra alnifolia, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, Rhododendron viscosum, Rosa palustris, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Typha latifolia, Carex sp., Osmunda regalis, Woodwardia areolata, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii, numerous unidentified aquatic emergent sedges and rushes
Comment: This species is a multi-stemmed, deciduous, woody shrub to small tree with erect stems forming an upright spreading habit; plants ranging in size from 3-6 meters tall. Leaves are simple and alternate with an obovate to broadly elliptic shape, generally wider above the middle; leaves are 5-13 cm long x 3-3.5 cm wide. The leaf margins are finely serrated and slightly wavy; the upper leaf surface is medium to dark green and glabrous, while the lower leaf surface is medium green and glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Fruit are cone-like structures about 1.5-2 cm long, and their scales become dark brown and woody at maturity. Male catkins are already formed and hanging from branches as current season fruit mature.
Collector(s):