10 October 2023.
Okaloosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Blackwater River State Park.
Coordinates: 30.8987, -86.7348
(Map it)
Elevation: 43m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Sarracenia flava seepage slope. Elevation: 143 feet. Slope: 10%. Aspect: Southeast.
Number of plants sampled: 20
Associated species: Pinus palustris; Ilex glabra; Ilex coriacea; Morella cerifera; Sarracenia flava; Sarracenia psittacina; Cliftonia monophylla.
Comment: Common. Seed collected from 20 plants. Description: Evergreen bayberry [local name for Morella caroliniensis] occurs in bogs, pine flatwoods, seeps, and along streams. It is a robust shrub 3-6 feet in height, sometimes taller. Twigs are dark grey, may be pubescent and glandular. Leaves, slightly aromatic, leathery, alternate, elliptic to obovate, dark green above and paler lower leaf surface with yellow amber glands; margins toothed above the middle. Flowers, dioecious, golden-yellowish, early spring; produced in leaf axils on prior seasons growth. Fruit, clusters of waxy coated drupes, early fall. Evergreen bayberry is similar to common wax-myrtle, Morella cerifera, but has larger broader leaves and larger fruit. Visually, it has a coarser, more substantial appearance, and has great potential garden merit. Worthy of consideration in the landscape.
Collector(s):