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: 33.1516, -79.6022
(Map it)
Elevation: 22m.
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, mostly along the edges of 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: 2
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 myrtifolia; Itea virginica; Vaccinium corymbosum; Magnolia virginiana; Liquidambar styraciflua; Apocynum cannabinum; Morella cerifera.
Comment: This species is a dioecious, single-stemmed (occasionally multi-stemmed), broadleaved evergreen tree with an upright pyramidal habit. Older specimens become loose and open with an upright spreading, slightly pyramidal habit. Fruiting trees at this site ranged from 4-6 m tall and 3-4 m wide. The bark of mature trees is light grey and smooth. Leaves are alternate, simple, and evergreen, generally ovate to broadly ovate; leaves typically have 4-6 spines on each side of the leaf (occasionally almost entire). Leaves are medium green and not shiny; they range from 5-10 cm long x 2-3 cm wide. The fruit are berries ripening in the autumn; they are round to ellipsoidal shaped, 6-12 mm in diameter, and dull reddish-orange to red color. Plants are found occasionally at this site, mostly along the edges of the permanent wet zone. Seeds collected from two plants.
Collector(s):