14 November 2023.
Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Locality: Francis Marion National Forest: plants growing in a pond cypress-water tupelo swamp on the west side of Thompson Branch Road just south of the junction with Round Pond Road B.
Coordinates: 33.1517, -79.6025
(Map it)
Elevation: 31m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants are growing in part-shade to shade as understory trees among the pond cypress-water tupelo forest throughout the acid swamp which is seasonally inundated. The overstory is largely deciduous and comprised of pond cypress and water tupelo, while the understory is a mix of evergreen and deciduous broadleaved shrubs and understory trees. Slope: N/A. Aspect: N/A. The underlying geology of this area is of Pleistocene origin and characterized as a Socastee Formation. This is a low coastal formation in the Carolinas like Penholoway but younger and lower in altitude. It is comprised primarily of unconsolidated, fine-detrital clay. It is described as variegated quartzose sands, argillaceous sands, and clays, 5 m thick at the type section near Socastee Swamp. (Source: USGS South Carolina Geologic Map Data.) The primary soil type in this collection area is classified as Pickney Series loamy fine sand. The Pickney Series consists of very deep, very poorly drained, persistently wet, permeable soils that formed from marine or fluvial sediments. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The upper strata soil, 0-75 cm, is black loamy fine sand that is very friable and extremely acid. The lower strata, 75-120 cm is dark gray fine sand with occasional white mottling, loose, and moderately acid. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey.)
Number of plants sampled: 10
Associated species: Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium (originally listed as T. ascendens); Nyssa aquatica; Clethra alnifolia; Lyonia lucida; Smilax sp.; Eubotrys racemosus; Acer rubrum; Pinus taeda; Vaccinium arboreum; Gelsemium sempervirens; Persea palustris; Ilex opaca; Itea virginica; Vaccinium corymbosum; Magnolia virginiana; Liquidambar styraciflua; Apocynum cannabinum; Morella cerifera.
Comment: This species is a dioecious, single- or, occasionally, multi-stemmed broadleaved evergreen tree with an upright irregular shape and dense branching; it can reach up to 10 m tall and 4 m wide. Bark on mature stems is dark gray; very smooth to warty when young but later becoming finely scaly. Young twigs are grayish brown and finely hairy. Leaves are alternate, simple, evergreen, thickened and ovate, obovate, or lanceolate; they range from 1.2-5 cm long and 0.5-1 cm wide. Leaf margins are entire or sometimes a few sharp teeth above the middle; shiny dark green above, paler below. Fruit is a drupe-like round berry, 5-7 mm in diameter and usually red (some orange); they are persistent into winter. Plants are common at this site. Seeds collected from 10 plants.
Collector(s):