12 December 2022.
Monroe County, Alabama, United States
Locality: Claiborne Bluffs area along unnamed road to boat ramp on the east side of the Alabama River at the U.S. Highway 84 bridge over the river. Occasionally found in the woodlands.
Coordinates: 31.5494, -87.5137
(Map it)
Elevation: 25m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants are growing in part-shade to shade of mesic, well-drained, circum-neutral slopes mature mixed deciduous and evergreen woodlands where slopes are exposed and detritus does not build up.
Soils: The underlying geology of this area is the Jackson Group Undifferentiated. The units of the Jackson Group are the Yazoo Clay and Crystal River and Moodys Branch Formations. Descriptions of the members of the Yazoo Clay follow in descending order. Shubuta Member - in western Alabama consists of light-greenish-gray to white plastic fossiliferous, calcareous clay containing irregular calcareous nodules. From the Tombigbee River eastward, the Shubuta becomes more calcareous and grades into massive clayey glauconitic limestone. Eastward from the Alabama River, equivalent beds grade into the Crystal River Formation. Pachuta Marl Member - light-greenish-grey glauconitic, fossiliferous clayey sand and sandy limestone traceable from western Alabama eastward to Covington County where it grades into the Crystal River Formation. Cocoa Sand Member - yellowish-gray firm calcareous, fossiliferous fine to medium sand or sandy limestone or greenish-grey micaceous, calcareous, very clayey sand. Calcareous and clayey sand equivalent to the Cocoa is traceable from western Alabama to the Conecuh River area.
Source: USGS Alabama Geological Map Data (https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/state.php?state=AL)
The surface soil profile of this portion of the bluffs along the Alabama River are characterized by Saffell-Lucy (Flomaton) Series Complex soils. The Saffell Series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in loamy and gravelly marine sediments of the Tertiary Age and have acid reaction. These soils are found on the upper portion of the bluffs along the Alabama River. The Lucy Series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils on uplands. They formed in sandy and loamy marine and fluvial sediments of the Southern Coastal Plain Major Land Resource Area. Soil reaction runs from strongly to moderately acid. The Flomaton Series consists of very deep, excessively drained, rapidly permeable soils on uplands of the Southern Coastal Plain Major Land Resource Area. They formed in gravelly sandy marine sediments and also have an acid reaction. The remainder of soils are of miscellaneous origin.
Source: USDA-NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions (https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/osdname.aspx)
Number of plants sampled: 5
Associated species: Ulmus alata, Hydrangea quercifolia, Bignonia capreolata, Smilax sp., Toxicodendron radicans, Acer floridanum, Aesculus parviflora, Hexastylis arifolia, Yucca sp., Magnolia grandiflora, Quercus michauxii, Solidago sp., Swida alternifolia, Viburnum rufidulum, Juniperus virginiana, Rhapidophyllum hystrix, Fagus grandiflora, Chasmanthium latifolium, Euonymus americanus, Cladrastis kentukea, Hymenocallis occidentalis, Viola sp., Ostrya virginiana, Pinus taeda, Sideroxylon lycioides, Vaccinium arboreum, Philadelphus inodorus, Prunus caroliniana, Calycanthus floridus, Tipularia discolor, Liriodendron tulipifera, Dirca palustris, Arisaema triphyllum, Halesia diptera, Sabal minor, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Celtis laevigata, Quercus hemisphaerica, Carya sp., Muscadinia rotundifolia, Viola walteri, Scutellaria sp., Carpinus caroliniana, Campsis radicans, Campanulastrum Americanum, Tilia americana, Callicarpa americana, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Polygonatum biflorum, Hexastylis arifolia, Arisaema dracontium, Magnolia acuminata, Adiantum capillus-veneris
Comment: This species is a clumping, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub, forming an upright, to vase-shaped spreading habit in maturity. Often stems are unbranched with a single inflorescence terminally. At maturity this shrub is approximately 0.5-1.2 meters tall x 0.3-1 meter wide. Plants are dormant and mostly without leaves. Fruits are borne on dome-shaped to flattened terminal inflorescences containing 100s of tiny fruits. Sterile flowers are various present or not along the periphery of the inflorescence. Fruits are tiny hemispheric capsules 2 mm tall x 2 mm wide.
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