October 2024.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Plants growing on the Blackwater River and found on the northern point of an island in the river, approximately 1.9 kilometers northwest of the Interstate 10 bridge. This location was accessed by boat. Two sets of coordinates recorded; the second are 30.600123 deg. N, 87.021365 deg. W.
Coordinates: 30.6094, -87.0338
(Map it)
Elevation: 1m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants growing in full sun in marshy habitat along the edge of the river. Slope: N/A. Aspect: N/A. The underlying geology of this area is classified as Alluvium, of Pleistocene/Holocene origin and consists of undifferentiated Quaternary sediments of varying thickness including siliciclastics, organics and freshwater carbonates. 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. 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. (Source: USGS Florida Geologic Map Data). The soils of this are characterized as Bibb-Kinston Series association. The Bibb Series consists of very deep, poorly drained, moderately permeable soils on flood plains of streams in the Southern Coastal Plain (133A) Major Land Resource Area. They formed in stratified loamy and sandy alluvium that are commonly and frequently flooded and water runs off the surface very slowly. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid throughout. Content of mica flakes ranges from none to common. Content of rounded gravel typically ranges from 0 to 10 percent throughout, but may range to 50 percent in thin strata below a depth of 1 meter. Buried soil horizons, present in many pedons have the same range in color and texture as the surface horizon which has iron and organic matter concentrations in shades of brown and yellow ranging from none to common. Texture is sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loam or silt loam. The Kinston Series consists of very deep, poorly drained, moderately permeable soils found on flood plains. They were formed in alluvial depositions. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Soil reaction ranges from strongly acid to very strongly acid. Typical texture across the pedons is loamy, gravelly loam, sandy loam, and clay loam with dark concretions often present. (Source: California Soil Resource Lab/NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions).
Associated species: Juncus roemerianus; Spartina bakeri; Cyrilla racemiflora; Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium; Ilex vomitoria; Nyssa biflora; Carex spp. (numerous Carex species); Magnolia virginiana; Nekemias arborea; Solidago sp.; Sagittaria sp.; Cladium jamaicense.
Comment: Plants are multi-stemmed, deciduous, herbaceous perennials with tall, and mostly unbranched stems to 3 meters tall. Large red, five-petaled flowers are borne singly in the axils of leaves on the upper portion of the current season’s growth; in their native habitats, this species blooms in mid-July. Leaves are deeply palmately divided. In fruit, plants bear upright brown capsules subtended by long green bracts containing hundreds of tiny round seeds. Scattered, infrequent occurrence.
Collector(s):