24 October 2022.
Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States
Locality: Plants growing on both sides of Duerer Street approximately 0.37 kilometers southeast of 4th Avenue, Mullica Township, New Jersey. Plants are common but scattered on both sides of the road at this site.
Coordinates: 39.5573, -74.6638
(Map it)
Elevation: 22m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants grow from part shade to full sun throughout the habit from the upper edges of the ditches through the herbaceous grass dominant buffer and all the way to the part shade of the woodland edge. Plants transition through moist/wet conditions in full sun to quite dry conditions in part shade and seem equally adapted.
Soils: 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 (https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=NJTch%3B1)
The primary soil type in the area of this collection is classified as Mullica 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 (https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx)
Number of plants sampled: 30
Associated species: Rhynchospora pallida, Ilex glabra, Calamovilfa brevipilis, numerous unidentified grass 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 racemosa, 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
Comment: This species is a multi-stemmed, deciduous woody shrub with erect short rhizomatous suckers spreading from the parent plant. Leaves are simple, alternate and deciduous; leaves are variable from narrowly to widely elliptic, ovate, or obovate, 2.5-10.5 cm long x 1-4 cm wide. Fruiting capsules are borne in fascicles that are axillary below the current season’s growth on stems of the previous year. Capsules are ovoid, 4.0-6.5 cm long x 3-6 mm wide with an apex that is strongly constricted; they are dark brown at maturity.
Collector(s):