16 October 2022.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Blackwater River State Park: growing along unnamed dirt road approximately 0.26 kilometers north of the intersection with Boundary Line Road.
Coordinates: 30.6879, -86.8623
(Map it)
Elevation: 56m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants are growing in hot, dry, full sun conditions. Soils: The underlying geology of this area is the Citronelle Formation of Pliocene origin and consists of gray to orange, often mottled, unconsolidated to poorly consolidated, very fine to very coarse, poorly sorted, clean to clayey sands. It contains significant amounts of clay, silt and gravel which may occur as beds and lenses and may vary considerably over short distances. Limonite nodules and limonite-cemented beds are common. (Source: USGS Florida Geologic Map Data). The primary soil type in the collection area is classified as Lakeland Sand soils (5 to 12 percent slopes). The surface soil profile of this area is primarily the Lakeland series which consists of very deep, excessively drained, rapid to very rapidly permeable soils on uplands. They formed in thick beds of eolian or marine and/or fluvio-marine sands. Thickness of the sand exceeds 2 meters. Silt plus clay in the upper meter ranges from 5-10 percent. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid throughout. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey).
Associated species: Quercus laevis; Quercus incana; Pteridium aquilinum; Smilax sp.; Vaccinium sp.; Pinus palustris; Pityopsis graminifolia; Rubus sp.; Ilex vomitoria.
Comment: Plants are vigorously growing, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrubs with a loose and open habit with irregular branching pattern. Plants are approximately 2-3 meters tall x 2-3 meters wide. The pattern of growth observed is no doubt due to a managed fire regime; this habitat was probably burned in the last 2-3 years. Infrequent in the area, but found occasionally when fruiting; male plants are difficult to spot.
Collector(s):