13 November 2024.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Woodland edge along the south side of Bud Bass Road (DOF B48), 0.30 kilometers east of the junction with Norman Riley Road.
Coordinates: 30.7575, -86.8046
(Map it)
Elevation: 39m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Mixed evergreen and deciduous forests in part shade in a mesic- to mesic-dry situation. Slope: 0 percent. Aspect: North. The underlying geology of this area is characterized as Citronelle Formation of the Pliocene period. The Citronelle Formation is widespread in the Gulf Coastal Plain. The type section for the Citronelle Formation, named by Matson (1916), is near Citronelle, Alabama. The Citronelle Formation grades laterally, through a broad facies transition, into the Miccosukee Formation of the eastern Florida panhandle. Coe (1979) investigated the Citronelle Formation in portions of the western Florida panhandle. The Citronelle Formation is a siliciclastic, deltaic deposit that is lithologically similar to, and time equivalent with, the Cypresshead Formation and, at least in part, the Long Key Formation (Cunningham et al., 1998) of the peninsula. In the western panhandle, some of the sediments mapped as Citronelle Formation may be reworked Citronelle. The lithologies are the same and there are few fossils present to document a possible younger age. The Citronelle Formation 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. Marine fossils are rare but fossil pollen, plant remains and occasional vertebrates are found. Much of the Citronelle Formation is highly permeable. It forms the Sand and Gravel Aquifer of the surficial aquifer system contain organics. The dominant fossils in the freshwater carbonates are mollusks. (Source: USGS Florida Geologic Map Data). The soils of this are characterized as Troup Series loamy sand, 0 to 5 percent slopes. The Troup series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in unconsolidated sandy and loamy marine sediments. Troup soils are on ridges and hillslopes. Slopes predominantly range from 0 to 15 percent but range to 45 percent. The soil pH is generally strongly acid. (Source: California Soil Resource Lab/NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions).
Number of plants sampled: 1
Associated species: Vaccinium arboreum; Pinus palustris; Elephantopus sp.; Salvia lyrata; Ilex vomitoria; Vaccinium sp.; Chasmanthium sessiliflorum; Smilax sp.; Rubus sp.; Vitis rotundifolia (listed as Muscadinia rotundifolia); Vaccinium elliottii; Pteridium aquilinum; Callicarpa americana; Quercus hemisphaerica; Magnolia grandiflora.
Comment: This individual tree was damaged by a pine falling on it in recent years, resulting in the tree being partially broken over along the trunk and laying at a 45+ degree angle. Even so, the tree has signs of active wound closure and foliage that continues to grow on most of its branches. Prior to damage, this specimen was a single-stemmed tree with a DBH of about 20 cm and height of about 7 meters. This tree is deciduous and has alternate, simple bright green leaves that are quite vigorous and green; the foliage is showing virtually no signs of environmental or insect damage despite the late season. There are numerous suckers emerging from the base of the tree, presumably because of the damage to the top of the tree. The fruit of this tree are bright red and borne in clusters on long pedicels. The fruit appear to be quite large compared to typical Cornus florida fruit. Infrequent occurrence. Seed collected from one plant.