01 November 2022.
Texas, United States
Locality: Plants growing in a wetland on the north side of Clarktown Road approximately 1.5 kilometers west of Texas State Hwy 87 in Sabine National Forest. Plant is relatively common in the moist-wet and mesic edges of the wetland habitat.
Coordinates: 31.1718, -93.7512
(Map it)
Elevation: 81m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants are growing in part-shade to part-sun in a depression wetland and slightly upslope of a small upland valley stream area surrounded by upland Pinus palustris and Pinus taeda forests. While the region had a severe drought during 2022, this depression wetland remained mucky wet throughout.
Soils: The underlying geology of this area is of Oligocene origin and characterized as Catahoula Formation. This formation is extensive and deep in Texas, up to 185 meters thick. In the area of the collection the Catahoula Formation is primarily mudstone and sand. The upper 90-150 meters is mudstone that is tuffaceous, and sandy; also, occasionally, with some bentonitic clay.
Source: USGS Texas Geologic Map Data (https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=TXQbs%3B0
The primary soil types in the collection area are classified as Letney soils. These soils consist of deep, somewhat excessively drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils on uplands. They were formed in thick loamy and sandy sediments on the Western Coastal Plain. The Letney soils are on gently sloping uplands with slopes ranging from 1 to 5 percent. They are typically strongly acidic. It should be noted that the upper surface, to an unknown depth has a significant amount of decomposed and undecomposed organic litter, presumably from sphagnum, at least, in part.
Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey (https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx)
Number of plants sampled: 10
Associated species: Ilex vomitoria, Quercus falcata, Callicarpa americana, Magnolia virginiana, Osmunda regalis, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, Woodwardia areolata, Vaccinium corymbosum, Smilax sp., Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Toxicodendron vernix, Vitis sp., Rhododendron viscosum (low growing rhizomatous form), Carex sp., Eupatorium sp., Pinus taeda, Morella cerifera, Persea palustris, Carya glabra, Lobelia puberula, Ludwigia sp., Ilex opaca, Ilex coriacea, Quercus laurifolia, Symplocos tinctoria, Hamamelis virginiana, Sphagnum sp., Juncus sp.
Comment: This species is a broadleaved, multi-stemmed evergreen shrub, 2-2.5 meters tall x 1.5 to 2.5 meters wide with an irregular upright-spreading to rounded habit. Branchlets appear dark brown to almost black and range from glabrous to densely pilose. Leaves are aromatic when crushed and oblanceolate to elliptic, occasionally obovate; they range in size from 5-12 cm long x 1-2.5 cm wide. Leaves are most often leathery and tardily deciduous (occasionally weakly evergreen); the margins can be entire or serrate distal to middle, while the apex is rounded to acute. Upper leaf surface is typically dark green and glabrous, though occasionally, with yellow punctate glands; the abaxial surface is often pilose on major veins or glabrate and densely punctate glandular. Plants are dioecious. Fruits are globose-ellipsoidal, 3-4.5 mm in diameter; fruit wall glabrous or sparsely glandular, obscured by enlarged protuberances and a thin to thick coat of gray to white wax.
Collector(s):