05 December 2023.
Polk County, Florida, United States
Locality: Lake Wales Ridge State Forest.
Coordinates: 27.6858, -81.4142
(Map it)
Elevation: 27m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Xeric scrub. Slope: flat. Aspect: Southeast. Elevation: 89 feet.
Number of plants sampled: 5
Associated species: Persea humilis; Ceratiola ericoides; Polygonella myriophylla; Clinopodium ashei (listed as Calamintha ashei); Asclepias curtissii; Lechea cernua; Liatris ohlingerae; Paronychia chartacea; Nolina brittoniana; Opuntia humifusa (listed as Opuntia austrina); Bonamia grandiflora; Quercus spp.; Pinus clausa.
Comment: Scrub holly is similar to, yet distinctly different from American holly. More diminutive overall. Height 10-20’; leaves typically narrower, shorter, with fewer marginal teeth, frequently only on the upper half. Restricted to xeric scrub. Interestingly, both recent phylogenetic studies of Ilex (Selbach-Schnadelbach et al. 2009; Manen et al. 2010) show I. arenicola is less closely related to I. opaca than to other taxa, such as I. cassine, I. myrtifolia, and/or I. rubra S. Watson (of Mexico); though neither study was intended to address species-level taxonomy, these results further undermine the idea that I. arenicola is conspecific with I. opaca and should therefore be treated at infraspecific rank. Approximately 50 plants in about a 5-acre area. Seed collected from 5 plants.
Collector(s):