25 October 2023.
Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States
Locality: Seed collected along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, accessed from the Duncannon Entrance.
Coordinates: 40.3813, -77.0297
(Map it)
Elevation: 103m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Well-drained and very rocky deciduous woodlands where soil has accumulated in part shade to full shade. Slope: 0-30%. Aspect: variable. The underlying geology of this area is of Devonian origin and characterized as the Duncannon Member of Catskill Formation. It is characterized by grayish-red sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone in fining-upward cycles; conglomerate occurs at base of some cycles. The sandstones which comprise the Duncannon Member are fine to very coarse grained and grayish red to grayish red-purple in color. The Duncannon Member is known to be crossbedded to planar bedded in beds anywhere from 3 to 9 meters thick. Conglomerates have been spotted at the base of the Duncannon Member. The Duncannon Member is poorly exposed in most areas except along the Lehigh River. The conglomerate portion of this member has been known to form ridges and ledges with thicknesses approaching 228 meters. (Source: USGS Pennsylvania Geologic Map Data). The primary soil type in the collection area is classified as Hazleton Series. The Hazleton series consists of deep and very deep, well drained soils formed in residuum of acid gray, brown or red sandstone on uplands. Slope ranges from 0 to 80 percent. Permeability is moderately rapid to rapid. Solum thickness ranges from 60 to 120 centimeters. Depth to lithic contact ranges from 1 to 2 meters. Rock fragments of angular sandstone, dominantly less than 25 cm in size, range from 5 to 70 percent in individual horizons. Boulders, stones, flags and channers cover about 5 to 60 percent of the surface of some pedons. Reaction ranges from strongly acid through extremely acid throughout. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey).
Number of plants sampled: 7
Associated species: Symphyotrichum sp.; Acer negundo; Celtis occidentalis; Solidago caesia; Toxicodendron radicans; Acer rubrum; Ulmus americana; Impatiens pallida; Cornus florida; Vitis sp.; Polystichum acrostichoides; Liriodendron tulipifera; Ageratina altissima; Phytolacca americana; Quercus coccinea; Lindera benzoin; Carya glabra; Fraxinus americana; Rubus sp.
Comment: Plants are single- and multi-stemmed, deciduous shrubs with a coarse and open rounded to broad-rounded habit. Mature plants range in size from 1.5-3.5 meters tall x 2-5 meters wide. Fruits are papery 3-celled capsules to 7.5 cm long and 3.5 cm across. The papery capsule is obovoid or ovoid in shape with 3-angular lobes. Immature capsules progress from green during summer to light brown during the fall. There is a single seed per cell. The seeds are brown, smooth, and about 5-7 mm across. The leaves opposite and trifoliate with petioles about 2.5-12.5 cm long. Individual leaflets are ovate in shape and finely serrated along their margins and 2.5-7.5 cm long. The terminal leaflet has a petiolule to 2.5 cm long; lateral leaflets are nearly sessile. Plants are common along the base of mountain slopes where moisture and soil depth is adequate. Seeds collected from 7 plants.
Collector(s):