21 November 2024.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Eglin Air Force Base: collected along an unnamed sand road that leads to the former Flowers Boat Landing (now permanently closed) along the Yellow River. Accessed by boat.
Coordinates: 30.6082, -86.8360
(Map it)
Elevation: 6m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Mixed evergreen and deciduous open habitat in part shade to full sun. Slope: 0 to 1 percent. Aspect: N/A. The underlying geology of this area is characterized as Alluvium from undifferentiated Quaternary Sediments. Much of Florida's surface is covered by a varying thickness of undifferentiated sediments consisting of siliciclastics, organics and freshwater carbonates. Where these sediments exceed 20 feet (6.1 meters) thick, they were mapped as discrete units. To subdivide the undifferentiated sediments, those sediments occurring in flood plains were mapped as alluvial and flood plain deposits (Qal). Sediments showing surficial expression of beach ridges and dunes were mapped separately (Qbd) as were the sediments composing Trail Ridge (Qtr). Terrace sands were not mapped (refer to Healy [1975] for a discussion of the terraces in Florida). The subdivisions of the Undifferentiated Quaternary Sediments (Qu) are not lithostratigraphic units but are utilized to facilitate a better understanding of the State's geology. 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. Gravel is occasionally present in the panhandle. 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 over much of the State. In southern Florida, freshwater carbonates are nearly ubiquitous in the Everglades. These sediments are buff colored to tan, unconsolidated to poorly consolidated, fossiliferous carbonate muds. Sand, silt and clay may be present in limited quantities. These carbonates often contain organics. The dominant fossils in the freshwater carbonates are mollusks. (Source: USGS Florida Geologic Map Data). The soils of this are characterized as 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 depressions in the Atlantic Coast Flatwoods (153A), Eastern Gulf Coast Flatwoods (152A), and Southern Coastal Plain Major (133A) Land Resource Areas. They formed in highly decomposed acid-organic materials. Slopes are less than 1 percent. The organic material ranges from 1.3 to 2 meters or more 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 to 1.3 meters of organic material over dominantly sandy sediments. Reaction is extremely acid (less than 4.5 in 0.01 M calcium chloride) in the organic layers, and ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid in the underlying mineral layers.
Associated species: Persea palustris; Cliftonia monophylla; Ilex glabra; Ilex coriacea; Baccharis halimifolia; Pinus palustris; Symplocos tinctoria; Serenoa repens; Rubus sp.; Gaylussacia frondosa var. nana (listed as G. nana); Gaylussacia sp. (G. dumosa/frondosa); Lyonia lucida; Lycopodiella alopecuroides; Cyrilla parvifolia; Cyrilla racemiflora; Vaccinium arboreum; Vaccinium elliottii; Vaccinium darrowii; Quercus minima; Morella cerifera; Nyssa biflora; Oxydendrum arboreum; Quercus hemisphaerica; Smilax laurifolia; Smilax sp.; Magnolia virginiana; Pinus elliottii.
Comment: This species is an erect, evergreen broadleaved shrubs ranging from 2-3 meters tall. It forms multi-stemmed shrubs. They do look as if they spread by runners. This population at this location is simply overwhelming. Thousands and thousands of plants stretch out in two major populations, mostly to the west. They are mostly very upright, almost fastigiate, though a small percentage of the bushes were rounded. They are beautiful plants. The leaves were mostly curled to boat shape, although some were almost flat. None precisely so. There was great variation in leaf size. Locally frequent occurrence. Seed collected from several plants. The plants here, unlike the Lyonia ferruginea at the fossil dune or on the ridges in the Quercus chapmanii colony, are growing in damp to outright wet settings. Collector's note: The most interesting companion we saw was Cyrilla parvifolia (yes) up to 1.5 meters tall, in a great mass on the wet edge of the Lyonia ferruginea area. Ron Miller stated that he is now convinced that it is a distinct taxon and that it exists over here.