24 November 2024.
Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States
Locality: Mullica Township: Both sides of Duerer Street, approximately 0.37 kilometers southeast of 4th Avenue.
Coordinates: 39.5589, -74.6644
(Map it)
Elevation: 21m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Shade to almost full sun on compacted seasonally moist to temporarily wet areas of a mixed evergreen and deciduous woodland dominated by Pinus rigida. Vegetation of this area is very much defined by small changes in elevation that go from wet to very dry. Ilex glabra remains abundant throughout, though. Slope: N/A. Aspect: N/A. The underlying geology of this area is the Cohansey Formation of middle Miocene origin and comprised of sand, white to yellow with local gravel and clay. It is sometimes locally stained red or orange brown by iron oxides and (or) cemented into large blocks of ironstone. Unweathered clay is typically dark gray, but commonly weathers white where it is interbedded with thin beds of ironstone. Sand is typically medium grained and moderately sorted although it ranges from fine to very coarse grained and from poorly to well sorted. Sand consists of quartz and siliceous rock fragments. Some beds are locally micaceous. Maximum thickness in the map area is about 60 meters; however, thickness is difficult to determine because of the irregular basal contact and extensive post-depositional erosion. (Source: USGS New Jersey Geologic Map Data). The primary soil type in the area of this collection is classified as Mullica Series sandy loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes. These soils are typically coarse-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, and mesic typic humaquepts that are strongly to extremely acidic throughout the profile. The typical solum thickness ranges from 50-150+ cm. These soils are generally considered to be poorly drained. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey).
Number of plants sampled: 30
Associated species: Lyonia mariana; Hypericum sp.; Pinus virginiana; Pinus rigida; Sassafras albidum; Clethra alnifolia; Liatris pilosa; Baptisia tinctoria; Solidago rigida; Solidago sp.; Quercus coccinea; Prunus serotina; Quercus ilicifolia; Quercus alba; Juniperus virginiana; Medeola virginiana; Kalmia angustifolia; Gaultheria procumbens; Gentiana autumnalis; Gaylussacia frondosa; Smilax sp.; Eubotrys racemosus; Vaccinium corymbosum; Acer rubrum; Tephrosia virginiana; Amelanchier canadensis; Liquidambar styraciflua; Ionactis linariifolia; Panicum virgatum; Pyxidanthera barbulata; Aronia arbutifolia; Nyssa sylvatica; Betula populifolia; Salix sp.; Hudsonia ericoides; Rubus hispidus; Quercus stellata; Diospyros virginiana; Ilex opaca; Morella caroliniensis; Morella pensylvanica; Pteridium aquilinum.
Comment: This species is a dioecious, multi-stemmed, broadleaved evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit in shade and a more rounded broadly spreading habit in sun; fruiting plants range in size from 0.5-2.5 meters tall x 1-2.5 meters wide. Leaves are alternate, simple, and evergreen ranging from 2-5 cm long x 0.5-1.5 cm long and lanceolate-ovate to ovate; they are dark green above and pale green below, almost completely glabrous, occasionally with a whitish bloom on the petioles. Leaves are mostly shallowly blunt toothed (above the middle portion of the leaf) and occasionally entire. Fruit are round black berries, commonly found singly in the axils of leaves; ranging in size from 5-8 mm. Plants are abundant on the edge of the woodlands as well as the understory of the woodlands. Seed collected from more than 30 plants.