25 October 2023.
Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States
Locality: Seed collected along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, accessed from the Duncannon Entrance.
Coordinates: 40.3774, -77.0400
(Map it)
Elevation: 239m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Well-drained and very rocky dry deciduous woodlands in part shade to full shade. Slope: 20-50%. Aspect: Northwest. The underlying geology of this area is of Devonian origin and characterized as the Duncannon Member of Catskill Formation. It is characterized by grayish-red sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone in fining-upward cycles; conglomerate occurs at base of some cycles. The sandstones which comprise the Duncannon Member are fine to very coarse grained and grayish red to grayish red-purple in color. The Duncannon Member is known to be crossbedded to planar bedded in beds anywhere from 3 to 9 meters thick. Conglomerates have been spotted at the base of the Duncannon Member. The Duncannon Member is poorly exposed in most areas except along the Lehigh River. The conglomerate portion of this member has been known to form ridges and ledges with thicknesses approaching 228 meters. (Source: USGS Pennsylvania Geologic Map Data). The primary soil type in the collection area is classified as Dystrochrepts, boulder soils. These soils are characterized by coarse-silty loess over residuum weathered from sedimentary rock and located on steep ridges along the upper third of the mountainflank. These soils are comprised of cobbles, stones or boulders (9%), well-drained, and approximately 1 meter or less to lithic bedrock. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey).
Number of plants sampled: 20
Associated species: Polystichum acrostichoides; Acer pensylvanicum; Sassafras albidum; Hamamelis virginiana; Quercus coccinea; Acer rubrum; Carpinus caroliniana; Rubus sp.; Betula lenta; Viburnum acerifolium; Quercus montana; Eurybia divaricata; Dioscorea villosa; Ribes sp.; Parthenocissus quinquefolia; Vaccinium pallidum; Tsuga canadensis; Solidago caesia; Vitis sp.; Toxicodendron radicans; Polygonatum biflorum; Ostrya virginiana; Pinus strobus; Sambucus canadensis; Carex sp.; Kalmia latifolia.
Comment: These plants are clumping, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrubs with an upright irregular shape. Plants are generally 0.3-1.5 meters tall and sparsely branched with terminal inflorescences. Fruits are borne on dome-shaped to flattened terminal inflorescences containing 100s of tiny fruits. Sterile flowers are variously present or absent along the periphery of the inflorescence. Fruits are tiny hemispheric capsules 2 mm tall x 2 mm wide. Plants are a common element in the woodland understory of the mid- and upper-slopes of the hills. Seeds collected from 20+ plants.
Collector(s):