06 December 2023.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Blackwater State Forest: plants are growing in wetlands accessed by foot from Buddy Hardy Road. The collection site is approximately 0.14 kilometers west and downhill from the road.
Coordinates: 30.8074, -86.9578
(Map it)
Elevation: 53m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Growing in shade to part-shade of the well-drained moist mesic habitat about 1 m above the wetland which appears to be formed by a nearby hillside seepage area. In this zone there are numerous facultative wetland species as well as high competition from facultative upland plants. Slope: 5 to 10 percent. Aspect: Variable. The underlying geology of this area is the Citronelle Formation of Pliocene origin and consists of gray to orange, often mottled, unconsolidated to poorly consolidated, very fine to very coarse, poorly sorted, clean to clayey sands. It contains significant amounts of clay, silt and gravel which may occur as beds and lenses and may vary considerably over short distances. Limonite nodules and limonite-cemented beds are common. (Source: USGS Florida Geologic Map Data.) The Troup Series (5 to 8% slopes) consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soil formed in unconsolidated sandy and loamy marine sediments. Troup soils are on ridges and hillslopes. The upper 0-13 cm is comprised primarily of decomposing sphagnum peat with a significant amount of fibrous root content. From 15-112 cm the soil is comprised primarily of fine-grained yellowish-brown sand with varying amounts of root content; this zone is strongly acid. From 112-203 cm the soil is comprised of light-red to red sandy clay loam that is discontinuous, generally friable, and strongly acid. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey.)
Number of plants sampled: 20
Associated species: Illicium floridanum; Ilex coriacea; Oxydendrum arboreum; Cyrilla racemiflora; Quercus laurifolia; Quercus nigra; Symplocos tinctoria; Magnolia grandiflora; Ilex glabra; Morella cerifera Pumila Group [originally listed as M. pumila]; Quercus michauxii; Lyonia lucida; Lyonia ligustrina; Pinus palustris; Castanea pumila; Clethra alnifolia; Vaccinium corymbosum; Gordonia lasianthus; Magnolia virginiana; Toxicodendron vernix; Morella caroliniensis; Itea virginica; Cartrema americana; Eubotrys racemosus; Acer rubrum; Aristida stricta; Aralia spinosa; Hamamelis virginiana; Pteridium aquilinum; Persea palustris; Osmundastrum cinnamomeum; Rhexia sp.; Cliftonia monophylla; Kalmia hirsuta; Vaccinium elliottii; Aronia arbutifolia; Hypericum sp.; Quercus marilandica; Vaccinium darrowii; Diospyros virginiana; Rhododendron viscosum [low rhizomatous form]; Gaylussacia sp.; Pityopsis graminifolia; Quercus margarettiae; Smilax sp.; Gaylussacia mosieri; Lycopodiella alopecuroides; Liatris spicata var. resinosa; Macranthera flammea; Platanthera ciliaris; Peltandra sagittifolia; Rhynchospora; sp.; Polygala cruciata; Rhexia alifanus; Sarracenia rosea; Nyssa biflora; Liriodendron sp.[possible new species]; Xyris ambigua; Hibiscus aculeatus; Vitis rotundifolia [originally listed as Muscadinia rotundifolia]; Viburnum nudum; Woodwardia areolata; Lilium iridollae; Eriocaulon decangulare; Smilax laurifolia; Vaccinium sp.; Sarracenia leucophylla; Platanthera blephariglottis; Platanthera ciliaris x blaphariglottis; Cleistesiopsis oricamporum; Drosera filiformis [listed as D. tracyi].
Comment: This species is a multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub, forming an upright, narrowly spreading-habit. Most of the plants in this population are growing in the zone along the lower edge of controlled burn area where limited impact from fire has slightly suppressed plants. As a result, mature shrubs in this population are approximately 1.5-2.5 m tall x 0.5 to 1 m wide. Leaves are simple, alternate, lanceolate- to elliptic-shaped; leaf size ranges from 5.0-7.5 cm long x 1.5-2.5 cm wide. Margins of leaves are shallowly toothed. Fruits are brown upright dehiscent capsules borne terminally in clusters. Capsules are approximately 15-30 mm long × 5-8 mm wide, usually with eglandular hairs. Plants are occasional to frequent along the edges of moist area associated with the wetland. Seeds collected from 20 plants. Note: This habitat is very interesting and quite diverse. The Rhododendron canescens collected here, is strategically positioned in the moist mesic zone 0.5-2 m above the permanently moist to wet seepage zone at this site that is dominated by sphagnum and numerous obligate wetland species; it is just below the facultative to obligate upland habitat that receives prescribed burns every 2-5 years. This collector has visited the site numerous times with Ron Miller in different seasons and we continue to discover plant species that we haven’t seen before. While this collection of Rhododendron canescens is generally typical of the species, Ron Miller and others have occasionally observed variation in this population that they believe may be representative of hybrids between R. canescens and R. viscosum [unnamed low-growing rhizomatous form]. This note is intended to alert those who grow out seedlings from this collection that there is slight chance that hybrids could be found.
Collector(s):