15 November 2023.
Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States
Locality: Boiling Spring Lakes, NC: Plants growing along unused road of potential new development on Baden Street, between Camden Street and Midwood Street. The site is accessed from North Carolina Highway 87 (George II Highway SE) by turning west onto Brunswick Road and right onto Baden Street at the first intersection.
Coordinates: 34.0194, -78.0611
(Map it)
Elevation: 16m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants growing in part-shade to full sun along the road, edges of ditches and managed edges of longleaf pine forest in well-drained, but seasonally moist habitat with very little organic litter layer. It seems that low competition and exposed sandy conditions allows this plant to thrive. Slope: N/A. Aspect: N/A. The underlying geology of this area is of Pleistocene origin and characterized as Waccamaw Formation. This formation is another Carolina coastalized terrace that is deeply weathered. It is characterized by unconsolidated, coarse-detrital, soft sand limestones and loose gray to buff fine quartz sands in which occasional small quartz pebbles are present. It also includes sedimentary, carbonate, soft limestones. (Source: USGS North Carolina Geologic Map Data.) The primary soil type in this collection area is classified as Leon Series fine sand. The Leon series consists of very deep, very poorly and poorly drained, moderately rapid to moderately slowly permeable soils on upland flats, depressions, stream terraces and tidal areas. They formed in sandy marine sediments of the Eastern Gulf Coast Flatwoods, the Atlantic Coast Flatwoods and to a lesser extent in the Southern Coastal Plain. The upper horizon (0-75 cm) is comprised of a high percent of blac and lower percentage of light gray sand that is very friable and very strongly acid. The lower horizon (75-270 cm) has a range of gray, dark brown and yellowish-brown sands that range from fine to coarse and are also very strongly acid. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey.)
Number of plants sampled: 50
Associated species: Cyrilla racemiflora; Carphephorus sp.; Rhexia sp.; Xyris sp.; Ilex glabra; Pinus palustris; Ilex opaca; Ilex coriacea; Ilex myrtifolia; Persea palustris; Lyonia lucida; Andropogon virginicus; Vaccinium crassifolium; Polygala lutea; Zenobia pulverulenta; Nyssa sylvatica; Gordonia lasianthus; Prunus sp.; Aristida stricta.
Comment: This species ranges from low growing, almost groundcover plants to very small shrubs with an erect habit, 0.1-1 m tall x 0.1-0.3 m wide. Twigs slightly tapered or 2-angled and glabrous or sparsely hairy. Leaves are alternate or opposite, ovate, or oval to narrowly lanceolate, 6-1.4 mm long x 3-6 mm wide; margins are somewhat revolute and the apex obtuse. The upper leaf surface minutely hairy and glabrous beneath. Fruit cluster are terminal, corymbiform racemes or umbels with papery capsules that are 2-5 valved; the style is persistent, forming a beak on each valve. Fruits are glabrous, yellowish-tan and 2.5-4 mm long x 2.5-3 mm wide. Plants are abundant at this site, especially in disturbed areas on the edges of ditches, along the edge of the road and managed grassy edges of the longleaf pine forest.
Collector(s):