04 November 2022.
Maryland, United States
Locality: Plants are growing on both sides of a fire road on Maryland Heights along the edge with Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. This location was accessed from the east where Miller Avenue meets the fire road, approximately 2 kilometers away. There is no vehicular access to the collecting area. Becoming locally uncommon. This local population is likely to be extirpated in the next 20-30 years. This collector has hiked through this area for more than 35 years and seen dramatic changes in the population. When first observed, Kalmia latifolia was a dominant understory shrub on south- to west-facing slopes beneath a mature forest canopy. Over the years, at least one forest fire has significantly reduced the population, along with a continuing increase in deer populations, resulting in catastrophic browse damage. The absence of a mature forest canopy and periods of drought have almost certainly also resulted in decline of this population. While collecting seed from scattered mature plants well above deer browse levels, this collector also noted that there was virtually no recruitment taking place.
Coordinates: 39.3281, -77.7224
(Map it)
Elevation: 287m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants are growing in part-shade to shade of a deciduous upland, very rocky, and dry forest community. Plants are frequently found growing among boulders, rock outcrops, and steep-slope erosional areas, although, not exclusively.
Soils: The underlying geology of this area is of Late Cambrian to Cambrian origin and comprised of Chilhowee Group; Weverton Formation. This includes interbedded white to dark gray, thin-bedded, micaceous, ferruginous, and sericitic quartzites, phyllites, and white, thick-bedded, ledge-making quartzites; some gray to brown ferruginous quartz conglomerate and purple-banded phyllite.
Source: USGS Maryland Geologic Map Data https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=MDKp%3B5
The primary soil types in the collection area are classified as Dekalb-Bagtown-Rock outcrop complex, 25 to 65 percent slopes. The Dekalb series consists of moderately deep, excessively drained soils formed in material weathered from gray and brown acid sandstone in places interbedded with shale and graywacke. Slope ranges from 0 to 80 percent. Permeability is rapid. Solum thickness and depth to bedrock range from 50 to 100 cm. Flat, subangular or angular, sandstone fragments, 2.5-25 cm across increase with depth and range from 10-60 percent in individual horizons of the solum and from 50-90 percent or more in the C horizon. The amount of rock fragments typically increases with depth. Cobbly, channery, and very stony phases are common. Reaction ranges from extremely through strongly acid.
Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey (https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx)
Number of plants sampled: 24
Associated species: Fagus grandifolia, Betula lenta, Cornus florida, Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Quercus montana, Quercus velutina, Quercus alba, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus coccinea, Hamamelis virginiana, Quercus rubra, Smilax sp., Sassafras albidum, Solidago flexicaulis, Populus sp., Vaccinium angustifolium, Carex sp., Solidago sp., Amelanchier sp., Pinus virginiana, Rubus sp., Carya tomentosa, Prunus serotina, Celtis occidentalis, Dichanthelium sp., Asimina triloba, Chimaphila maculata, Vitis sp., Viburnum prunifolium, Lindera benzoin
Comment: Plants are multi-stemmed, broadleaved evergreen, irregularly rounded to upright shrubs with a dense habit. Mature plants range in size from 2.5 to 3.5 meters tall and wide. Several fruits are borne in terminal panicles. Fruits are round, woody, and 5-loculed, containing many tiny winged seeds. Leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, and generally elliptic to lanceolate. Leaves range in size from 4-10 cm long x 1.5-4.5 cm wide.
Collector(s):