24 October 2022.
Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Locality: Plants growing along Hawkins Bridge Road in Wharton State Forest. Plants are common and frequent throughout the woodlands at this location.
Coordinates: 39.7023, -74.5608
(Map it)
Elevation: 16m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants growing in a mixed Conifer-Broadleaved Evergreen-Deciduous dry to xeric forest habitat in part shade to part sun.
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 Lakehurst sand, 0 to 5 percent slopes. Other related soils are found along the collection area; even so, this is the dominant soil in the collecting area of this species. This soil is primarily sandy coastal plain deposition that is moderately well-drained with limited organic matter in the upper horizon. This soil ranges in depth from 0.1-1.5 meters. It is very strongly acidic throughout. It is subject to periods of extreme drought.
Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey (https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx)
Number of plants sampled: 40
Associated species: Kalmia latifolia, Pinus rigida, Vaccinium angustifolium, Gaylussacia frondosa, Quercus marilandica, Quercus stellata, Pteridium aquilinum, Gaultheria procumbens, Comptonia peregrina, Ilex glabra, Clethra alnifolia, Sassafras albidum, Lyonia mariana, Smilax sp., Carex sp.
Comment: This species is a multi-stemmed, broadleaved evergreen, shrub, with erect to spreading stems that form an upright spreading habit; plants ranging in size from 0.3-1.2 meters tall. Twigs are glabrous or puberulent; when puberulent they are sticky to the touch. Leaves are grayish-green and usually borne in whorls of 3, rarely alternate; leaves are oblong to elliptic-lanceolate, 1.5-6 cm long x 0.5-1.5 cm wide; the under surface of the leaves range from glabrous to puberulent, sometimes stipitate-glandular. Capsules are borne on previous season’s growth in corymbiform racemes; capsules range in size from 2-3.5 mm long x 3-5 mm wide and are reddish brown at maturity. They have 5-locules and are puberulent, stipitate-glandular.
Collector(s):