01 October 2023.
Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Locality: Woodlands along Pine Creek near the Harmonyville Road bridge.
Coordinates: 40.1876, -75.7673
(Map it)
Elevation: 141m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Environment description: Moist to mucky, wet woodland conditions along Pine Creek. Much of the site is very wet due to recent rains; though, earlier in the year, the soils were only moist. Plants grow in both well-drained mesic conditions as well as seasonally wet conditions. They do not grow in standing water anywhere in this location. Plants in this population are found mostly in the shade and partial shade of deciduous trees; there are occasional gaps that offer higher light conditions as well. Slope: 0-2%. Aspect: N/A. The underlying geology of this area is of Precambrian origin and characterized as the Graphitic Felsic Gneiss. This includes Pickering Gneiss and small areas of marble; dominantly quartz and feldspar with varying amounts of graphite and various metamorphic minerals; medium grained, light to dark gray and greenish gray; sedimentary origin. (Source: USGS Pennsylvania Geologic Map Data). The primary soil type in the area of this collection is classified as Hatboro Silt Loam Series. The Hatboro Series consists of very deep and poorly drained soils formed in alluvium derived from metamorphic and crystalline rock. They are on flood plains. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high. Solum thickness ranges from 50 to 150 cm. Depth to bedrock ranges from 1.5 to 3 meters or more. Organic carbon decreases irregularly with depth or is greater than 0.2 percent directly above any strongly contrasting C horizon. The depth to strongly contrasting sand and gravel is more than 100 cm or the transition is greater than 12.5 cm. Content of gravel ranges from 0 to 10 percent in the solum and from 0 to 80 percent in the C horizon. Mica flakes are common in the solum, and the C horizon contains thin lenses of mica. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through neutral to a depth of 75 cm and from moderately acid through slightly acid below 75 cm. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey.)
Number of plants sampled: 15
Associated species: Liriodendron tulipifera; Toxicodendron radicans; Quercus rubra; Ulmus americana; Lindera benzoin; Polygonatum biflorum; Arisaema triphyllum; Fraxinus pennsylvanica; Osmundastrum cinnamomeum; Carex sp.; Onoclea sensibilis; Boehmeria cylindrica; Vitis sp.; Amelanchier sp.; Nyssa sylvatica; Impatiens pallida; Quercus palustris; Carya ovata; Solidago sp.; Rubus sp.; Acer rubrum; Carpinus caroliniana; Vaccinium corymbosum; Smilax rotundifolia; Ostrya virginiana; Viburnum dentatum; Uvularia sessilifolia; Juniperus virginiana; Cornus amomum [as Swida amomum]; Tsuga canadensis; Sambucus canadensis; Rhododendron periclymenoides.
Comment: Plants are multi-stemmed, deciduous, broad-spreading shrubs. Mature plants reach 3-4 meters tall and wide. Fleshy fruits, containing 1-5 seeds, are borne along the stems and in the leaf axils singly and in small clusters. Fruits are globose and orange-red to bright red when fully mature and approximately 5-8 mm in diameter; sepals subtending the fruit are densely hairy. Leaves are simple, alternate, and finely serrate along the margins. Leaves are ovate-lanceolate, ranging in size from 7.5-10 cm long. Plants are frequent in the understory of the woodlands along the creek and occasionally upslope. Approximately 3,900 to 7,800 seeds collected from about 15 plants.