25 October 2023.
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Locality: Ned Smith Center for Art and Nature.
Coordinates: 40.5346, -76.9262
(Map it)
Elevation: 130m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Well-drained and very rocky, dry slopes above 10-50 meters above Wiconisco Creek in mixed deciduous and evergreen woodlands in part shade to full shade. Slope: 10-40%. Aspect: North. The underlying geology of this area is of Mississippian origin and characterized as the Pocono Formation. It is comprised of light-gray to buff or light-olive-gray, medium-grained, crossbedded sandstone and minor siltstone; commonly conglomeratic at base and in middle; medial conglomerate, where present, is used to divide into Mount Carbon and Beckville Members; equivalent to Burgoon Sandstone of Allegheny Plateau. (Source: USGS Pennsylvania Geologic Map Data). The primary soil type in the collection area is classified as Laidig Series. The Laidig series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium from sandstone, siltstone, and some shale. They are gently sloping to very steep soils on benches and foot slopes. Permeability is moderate or moderately rapid above the fragipan and moderately slow or slow in the fragipan. Slope ranges from 0 to 55 percent. Solum thickness ranges from 1.25 to 2.0 meters or more. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 0.75 to 1.25 meters. The particle-size control section averages less than 35 percent rock fragments. Rock fragments range from 5 to 50 percent in individual subhorizons of the A, E, BE, BA and Bt horizons; 15 to 70 percent in individual subhorizons of the Btx horizon; and 20 to 70 percent in the C horizon. Rock fragments are mostly sandstone but include siltstone and shale. Rock fragments include channers, cobbles, flagstones, and stones. Soils range from extremely acid through strongly acid throughout. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey).
Number of plants sampled: 20
Associated species: Rhododendron pilosum; Toxicodendron radicans; Betula lenta; Tsuga canadensis; Prunus serotina; Quercus montana; Acer rubrum; Rubus sp.; Gaultheria procumbens; Rhododendron periclymenoides; Castanea dentata; Quercus alba; Hamamelis virginiana; Vaccinium sp.; Quercus velutina; Lindera benzoin; Viburnum acerifolium; Fraxinus americana; Goodyear pubescens; Smilax rotundifolia; Pinus strobus; Nyssa sylvatica; Acer pensylvanicum; Polystichum acrostichoides; Solidago sp.; Symphyotrichum sp.; Sassafras albidum; Carpinus caroliniana; Dichanthelium sp.; Carya glabra; Staphylea trifolia; Hydrangea arborescens; Viburnum prunifolium; Vitis sp.; Ageratina altissima; Parthenocissus quinquefolia; Eurybia divaricata; Amelanchier arborea; Vaccinium corymbosum; Aralia nudicaulis; Liriodendron tulipifera; Dennstaedtia punctilobula; Polypodium virginianum; Lycopodium obscurum (as Dendrolycopodium obscurum); Carya ovata.
Comment: Plants are multi-stemmed, evergreen, irregularly rounded to slightly upright shrubs with a dense habit. Mature plants range in size from 0.5 to 2.5 meters tall and wide. Mature stems can be contorted with scaly bark and brownish-red in color. Several fruits are borne in terminal panicles. Fruits are round, woody, and 5-loculed, containing many tiny winged seeds. Leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, and generally elliptic to lanceolate. Leaves range in size from 4-12 cm long to 1.5-5 cm wide. Common in the understory shade of the woodlands. Seeds collected from 20+ plants.
Collector(s):