18 August 2023.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Blackwater State Forest: Wolfe Creek.
Coordinates: 30.8075, -86.9577
(Map it)
Elevation: 52m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Beautiful xeric pine-oak upland community. Transitions to mesic slopes and then to seepage bottom, stringer wetland community adjacent to the Wolfe Creek. Area is on a regular 2-4[-year] burn cycle. Slope: 10%. Aspect: South. Elevation recorded as 172 feet.
Number of plants sampled: 20
Associated species: Pinus palustris; Quercus falcata; Quercus incana; Diospyros virginiana; Rhus copallinum; Clethra alnifolia; Licania michauxii; Vaccinium darrowii; Gaylussacia nana; Pteridium aquilinum.
Comment: Collectors' note: A Coastal Plain endemic most often associated with xeric uplands. M. pumila is a naturally occurring dwarf similar to its much larger and more common sister species, Morella cerifera. Rhizomatous, evergreen shrub 8-16(-24) inches tall and 24 inches wide. Leaves, oblanceolate, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long and 1/4 to 3/8 inches wide, margins entire to slightly serrulate, dark green with rusty glandular dotted undersides. Flowers, spring, greenish yellow, non-showy. Fruit, BB-sized, greenish, maturing brown with silvery, waxy cover. Dioecious. M. pumila ripens in mid-August, while M. cerifera is still not fully ripe. Deserves consideration as a distinct species. Appears to be more than just a dwarf fire-adapted form, as commonly thought. Seed collected off of 20+ plants.
Collector(s):