22 September 2024.
York County, Pennsylvania, United States
Locality: Outcrops along the Susquehanna River, accessed from the Historic Lock 12 parking lot off of Pennsylvania Road 372.
Coordinates: 39.8149, -76.3291
(Map it)
Elevation: 43m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants are growing in deep shade of the deciduous woodlands on outcrops and the steep slopes where organic debris and detritus has accumulated. This habitat has a diverse assemblage of deciduous trees and shrubs as well as abundant herbaceous taxa. Slope: 30 to 90 percent. Aspect: Northeast (generally). Geology: The underlying geology of this area is probably of lower Paleozoic age and characterized as the Octoraro Formation. It includes albite-chlorite schist, phyllite, some hornblende gneiss, and granitized members. (Source: Source: USGS Pennsylvania Geologic Map Data). Soils: The area where this species occurs is right on the edge of two soil zones that transition from the river’s edge to mesic conditions upslope. The first is generally referred to as Rock Outcrop. This terrestrial matrix in which plants grow is largely exposed underlying rock geology with accumulated outwash, rock decomposition, and organic debris buildup. The second is Mt. Airy (80%) and Manor (20%) Series soils, 25 to 60 percent slopes, extremely stony (MRF). (Source: California Soil Resource Lab/NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions). EPA Ecoregion (Level III): Northern Piedmont (64). EPA Ecoregion (Level IV): Piedmont Uplands (64c).
Number of plants sampled: 8
Associated species: Fagus grandifolia; Alnus serrulata; Collinsonia canadensis; Toxicodendron radicans; Acer rubrum; Acer saccharinum; Betula nigra; Fraxinus pennsylvanica; Viburnum dentatum; Quercus montana; Nyssa sylvatica; Malus sp.; Platanus occidentalis; Symphyotrichum sp.; Ageratina altissima; Lonicera japonica; Hamamelis virginiana; Physocarpus opulifolius; Crataegus sp.; Kalmia latifolia; Rhododendron periclymenoides; Parthenocissus quinquefolia; Prunus serotina; Carya glabra; Lindera benzoin; Asimina triloba; Ulmus americana; Lonicera maackii; Uvularia sessilifolia; Clematis virginiana; Vitis sp.; Carya cordiformis; Polystichum acrostichoides; Eurybia divaricata; Tilia americana; Quercus rubra; Liriodendron tulipifera; Thalictrum pubescens; Cystopteris sp.; Carpinus caroliniana; Urtica dioica.
Comment: Plant are single and multi-stemmed, deciduous shrubs with an irregular upright spreading to broad habit, 0.2 to 0.4 m tall and wide. Leaves are simple, opposite, ovate, ovate-elliptic or broadly ovate; leaves range from 6-14 cm long x 2.5–10 cm wide. Fruiting inflorescences are dome-shaped to hemispheric and compact with 100–500 tiny fruits; inflorescences range from 4-14 cm wide. This species is scattered, in the woodlands and found infrequently on outcrops. Seed collected from 8 plants; approximately 3,000 to 4,000 fruits collected.
Collector(s):