18 February 2023.
Warren County, North Carolina, United States
Locality: Plants growing along a fenceline on a hillside about 10 meters from Interstate 85 (south bound) and approximately 0.65 kilometers south of the North Carolina-Virginia border.
Coordinates: 36.5390, -78.1882
(Map it)
Elevation: 86m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: The plant was growing on the upper shoulder of a slope about 7 meters above the highway in part-shade to sun of an upland, well-drained, dry mesic somewhat disturbed site on the fenceline boundary of Interstate 85 (south bound). The area was originally cleared of all vegetation and now, many years later, native and non-native plant species have aggressively recolonized the area. This early successional habitat is dominated by Juniperus virginiana and Liquidambar styraciflua, as well as, non-native species such as Ligustrum sinense, Lonicera japonica, and Ailanthus altissima. The underlying geology of this area is of Permian/Pennsylvanian origin and characterized as the Granitic Rock Formation. It is characterized by megacrystic to equigranular components and includs Castalia and Wilton intrusives.
Number of plants sampled: 1
Associated species: Juniperus virginiana; Liquidambar styraciflua; Smilax sp.; Rubus sp.; Prunus sp.; Pinus taeda; Quercus sp.; Ilex opaca; Ulmus rubra; Quercus alba; Quercus stellata; Vaccinium sp.; Schizachyrium scoparium; Acer rubrum; Platanus occidentalis; Betula nigra.
Comment: The plant from which seed was collected is dioecious (in this case, female), deciduous, multi-trunked, very large shrub/small tree with an upright and spreading habit. Individual trunks range in size from 8-20 cm in diameter. The plant is medium textured with strongly ascending main trunks with spreading arching branches. The overall size of the plant is about 7.5 m tall x 8 m wide. Smaller fruiting branches have spur-type branches with fruit borne singly and in clusters along the stem of younger terminal branches. Fruits are fleshy, round, orange to red fruit on short peduncles (2-5 mm long); fruit are round and 4-9 mm in diameter. Seed collected from one plant. Note: Even in late February this was a magnificent specimen of Possum-haw with extraordinarily abundant fruit that was eye-catching, even at 75 mph from the other side of the highway. As we drove north along I-85 after making this collection, we crossed Lake Gaston, just 0.7 kilometers to the north. I suspect that Ilex decidua is quite abundant around the lake and that seed has been spread by birds, hence the discovery along a highway fence line. Further investigation of this area, Lake Gaston specifically, is certainly warranted.
Collector(s):