05 December 2023.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Yellow River Wildlife Management Area, along DOF [Department of Forestry] Y15 dirt road.
Coordinates: 30.6290, -86.8412
(Map it)
Elevation: 6m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Growing in sun in moist to wet flat woods along the side of the dirt road in shallow ditches on the edges of the longleaf pine forest. The nearby woodland is comprised mostly of open habitat of longleaf pine and an understory tree and shrub layer of evergreen and deciduous species. There is also a wealth of herbaceous species in moist to wet conditions of the habitat where there is rich organic matter in the surface layer. Slope: 0 percent. Aspect: N/A. The underlying geology of this area is classified as Alluvium, of Pleistocene/Holocene origin and consists of undifferentiated Quaternary sediments of varying thickness including siliciclastics, organics and freshwater carbonates. The siliciclastics are light gray, tan, brown to black, unconsolidated to poorly consolidated, clean to clayey, silty, unfossiliferous, variably organic-bearing sands to blue green to olive green, poorly to moderately consolidated, sandy, silty clays. Organics occur as plant debris, roots, disseminated organic matrix and beds of peat. Freshwater carbonates, often referred to as marls in the literature, are scattered. (Source: USGS Florida Geologic Map Data.) The surface soil profile of this area is primarily Dorovan-Pamlico Series Association. The Dorovan Series consists of very deep, very poorly drained, moderately permeable soils on densely forested flood plains, hardwood swamps and Southern Coastal Plain Major Land Resource Areas. They were formed in highly decomposed acid-organic materials. Slopes are less than 1 percent. The organic material ranges from 1.3-2.1 meters thick. Reaction is extremely acid to very strongly acid in the organic layers and very strongly acid or strongly acid in the mineral layers. The Pamlico Series consists of very poorly drained soils that formed in decomposed organic material underlain by dominantly sandy sediment. The soils are on nearly level flood plains, bays, and depressions of the Coastal Plain. Slopes are less than 1 percent. Pamlico soils have 0.4-1.3 meters of organic material over dominantly sandy sediments. Reaction is extremely in the organic layers and ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid in the underlying mineral layers. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey.)
Number of plants sampled: 6
Associated species: Ilex glabra; Cliftonia monophylla; Cyrilla racemiflora; Hypericum sp.; Lycopodiella alocpecuroides; Morella caroliniensis; Ilex coriacea; Gaylussacia sp.; Sphagnum sp.; Clethra alnifolia; Chamaecyparis thyoides; Xyris sp.; Magnolia virginiana; Symplocos tinctoria; Vaccinium elliottii; Agalinis sp.; Smilax laurifolia; Aronia arbutifolia; Lyonia lucida; Persea palustris.
Comment: This species is a multi-stemmed, heavily suckering, deciduous shrub, forming an upright to slightly spreading layered habit in maturity. Maturity shrubs range from 2-2.5 meters tall x 2-3 meters wide. Plants are completely defoliated. Fruits are brown upright dehiscent capsule borne terminally in clusters. Capsules are approximately 15-20 mm long × 4-6 mm wide, usually densely stipitate-glandular. Plants are occasionally found in the open areas of the moist longleaf pine forest, particularly along the road where there is less competition and more light. Seeds collected from six plants. Collected as Rhododendron serrulatum.
Collector(s):