12 December 2022.
Clarke County, Alabama, United States
Locality: Silver Creek Lake Campground off of Silver Creek Lake Road: woodland slopes below the hilltop parking lot leading down to the campground.
Coordinates: 31.6644, -87.5746
(Map it)
Elevation: 39m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Part shade of moist-mesic, mixed deciduous and evergreen woodland on dry, well-drained bank, 1-2 meters above a small spring-fed creek. The underlying geology of this area is Claiborne Group, Tallahatta Formation, of Eocene origin, with white to very light-greenish-gray thin-bedded to massive siliceous claystone; interbedded with thin layers of fossiliferous clay, sandy clay, and glauconitic sand and sandstone. (Source: USGS Alabama Geological Map Data). The primary soil types in the collection area are classified as Arundel-Cantuche Complex soils (15 to 35 percent slopes). The Arundel Series consists of moderately deep, well drained, very slowly permeable soils on dissected uplands of the Southern Coastal Plain. They formed in marine deposits consisting of acid clays underlain by horizontally bedded sandstone, buhrstone and siltstone. These soils are strongly acid. Slopes range from 2 to 60 percent. The Cantuche Series consists of shallow, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed over horizontally bedded claystone. These soils are on narrow ridgetops and narrow benches on steep side-slopes of dissected landscapes in the Coastal Plain. They are strongly acid. Slopes range from 2 to 35 percent. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey).
Number of plants sampled: 2
Associated species: Magnolia macrophylla; Magnolia grandiflora; Ostrya virginiana; Chasmanthium sessiliflorum; Mitchella repens; Pinus taeda; Fagus grandifolia; Quercus alba; Morella cerifera; Cornus florida [listed as Benthamidia florida]; Quercus laurifolia; Prunus serotina; Crataegus sp.; Ditrysinia fruticosa; Callicarpa americana; Ilex opaca; Liquidambar styraciflua; Polystichum acrostichoides; Symplocos tinctoria; Oxydendrum arboreum; Calycanthus floridus; Hamamelis virginiana; Nyssa sylvatica; Arundinaria gigantea; Rhododendron canescens; Carex sp.; Cartrema americana; Pinus glabra; Rhododendron colemanii; Aesculus pavia; Gelsemium sempervirens; Acer rubrum; Hypericum sp.; Ilex decidua.
Comment: This species is a deciduous, single-stemmed small tree that is dioecious, forming an upright, narrow habit. At maturity this plant is approximately 4-7 meters tall x 2-3 meters wide. Plants were dormant and without leaves. Fruits are round, bright red, and 5-10 mm in diameter. They are borne singly or in loose clusters on spurs of branches on a very long pedicel, 10-30 mm long. Seed collected from two plants. Infrequent to uncommon. Collector's note: The collection of this species in large quantities from multiple plants in a single local population is difficult due to its infrequent appearance in a given site. Even so, the species isn’t rare. It simply is found sporadically throughout its range. As a result, if collections for larger germplasm preservation are needed, county-wide collections may be necessary to obtain sufficient quantities.
Collector(s):