13 December 2023.
Okaloosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Yellow River Water Management Area, accessed off of Old River Road by vehicle on an unmaintained sand road for approximately 1.68 kilometers. Upon reaching the destination, plants are accessed by foot along unmaintained trail to the east.
Coordinates: 30.8350, -86.6201
(Map it)
Elevation: 27m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants are growing primarily in part shade as understory shrubs in mixed evergreen and deciduous, moist to wet, acidic woodlands. Plants form large colonies and appear to have been subjected to prescribed fire in recent years. Slope: 10 to 15 percent. Aspect: Northeast. 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 soil profile for this area is classified as the Bonifay Soil Series. Bonifay soil consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils on ridges and side slopes in the Southern Coastal Plain. They formed in thick beds of sandy and loamy marine sediments. Solum thickness ranges from 1.5-2.0 m. Soil reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid throughout, except where the surface has been limed. Ironstone pebbles, 2 to 15 mm in size, range from 0 to 5 percent, by volume. Depth to the plinthic horizon ranges from 1.1-1.7 m. Some horizons contain up to 25 percent plinthite by volume. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey.)
Number of plants sampled: 15
Associated species: Arundinaria tecta; Ilex coriacea; Persea borbonia; Cyrilla racemiflora; Magnolia virginiana; Magnolia grandiflora; Vitis rotundifolia [originally listed as Muscadinia rotundifolia]; Cliftonia monophylla; Pinus palustris; Ilex opaca; Symplocos tinctoria; Vaccinium arboreum; Fothergilla milleri; Carex sp.; Quercus laurifolia; Liriodendron tulipifera; Ilex vomitoria; Pinus taeda; Osmundastrum cinnamomeum; Morella caroliniensis; Smilax sp.; Vaccinium elliottii; Vaccinium corymbosum; Lyonia lucida; Ilex glabra; Quercus falcata; Pteridium aquilinum; Cartrema americana; Vaccinium darrowii; Gaylussacia sp.; Rubus sp.; Lycopodiella alopecuroides; Schizachyrium scoparium; Solidago sp.; Hypericum sp.; Aristida stricta; Rhus sp.; Aronia arbutifolia; Gelsemium sempervirens; Agalinis sp.; Liatris sp.; Smilax bona-nox.
Comment: Plants are multi-stemmed, deciduous, heavily suckering shrubs with a tendency toward upright lateral branching. Mature stems are smooth and tan to brown; young shoots often lightly pubescent, but losing this feature as the growing season progresses. Mature plants range in size from 1.0-2.0 m tall. Fruiting capsules are borne terminally, on solitary racemes or in clusters. The many small, sub-globose capsules borne on each raceme are dehiscent and loculicidal with a persistent calyx. Leaves are alternate, simple, and generally obovate with teeth particularly on the upper third of the leaves. Leaves generally glabrous above and sparsely to prominently pubescent beneath. Leaf size ranges from 35-60 mm long and 20-30 mm wide. Plants are common in the understory along trail edges and gaps in the woodlands where moisture is abundant or lower competition allows. Seeds collected from 15 plants.
Collector(s):