27 November 2023.
Blanco County, Texas, United States
Locality: Southbound Highway 281, west side of road, approximately 13 miles south of Highway 290 and 1 mile north of RR [rural route] 473 East.
Coordinates: 30.0161, -98.4061
(Map it)
Elevation: 407m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Environment description: Roadside, brushy fencerow. Slope: 10%. Aspect: East-northeast. Elevation: 1336 feet.
Number of plants sampled: 6
Associated species: Sideroxylon lanuginosum; Zanthoxylum clava-herculis; Diospyros texana; Forestiera pubescens; Smilax bona-nox; Vitis sp.; Helianthus maximiliani; Schizachyrium scoparium; Toxicodendron radicans.
Comment: Possumhaw is an upright deciduous shrub or small tree with a spreading, rounded crown, 7-15' tall in cultivation (to 30' in the wild). Bark is gray-brown, smooth, blotchy, with occasional warts. Leaves 2-3” long, glossy, dark green, alternate, simple, obovate- elliptic, narrow, margins crenate; turning a dull yellow in fall. Dioecious; flowers whitish, non-showy, April-May. Fruits pea size orangish-red, red, occasionally golden yellow; ripen September and persist throughout the winter until mid-March when new growth begins. Seeds collected from 6 plants. Species is common.
Collector(s):