13 November 2023.
Scotland County, North Carolina, United States
Locality: Sandhills Game Land: north side of Pulpwood Road approximately 0.11 km southwest of the junction with Tyner Road.
Coordinates: 34.9608, -79.4873
(Map it)
Elevation: 113m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants growing in moist-mesic to seasonally saturated soils in shade to part-shade of a spring fed wetland that is a mixed evergreen and deciduous woodland habitat. Prescribed fires have burned a portion of the wetland edge where plants are resprouting vigorously. Slope: 0 to 5 percent. Aspect: Norhteast. The underlying geology of this area is of Tertiary origin and characterized as Pinehurst Formation. It is comprised of sand that is medium- to coarse-grained, cross-bedding and rhythmic bands of clayey sand common, unconsolidated. (Source: USGS North Carolina Geologic Map Data.) The primary soil type in the area of this collection is classified as Pelion loamy sand, 6 to 10 percent slopes. Pelion Series soils are very deep, moderately well-drained soils with moderately slow to slow permeability. The upper 30 cm of the strata is sandy loam to sandy clay loam ranging from grayish brown to reddish yellow. This stratum has a weak fine granular structure and is very friable. It contains many fine roots and is moderately acid. Deeper strata to 2 m range from yellow to yellowish red sandy clay, often with masses of oxidized iron and few fine prominent light gray iron depletions; they are strongly acid. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey.)
Number of plants sampled: 3
Associated species: Pinus palustris; Pinus taeda; Persea palustris; Cyrilla racemiflora; Vaccinium corymbosum; Aronia arbutifolia; Smilax sp.; Smilax laurifolia; Liriodendron sp.; Salix sp.; Clethra alnifolia; Osmundastrum cinnamomeum; Lyonia lucida; Lyonia ligustrina; Ilex glabra; Oxydendrum arboreum; Toxicodendron vernix; Fothergilla gardenii; Hexastylis sp.; Magnolia virginiana; Morella caroliniensis; Melanthium virginicum; Vaccinium sp.; Amelanchier canadensis; Pteridium aquilinum; Sphagnum sp.; Alnus serrulata; Viburnum nudum; Acer rubrum; Ilex coriacea; Rhexia alifanus; Gentiana saponaria; Zenobia pulverulenta; Vitis sp.; Drosera sp.; Arundinaria tecta; Ilex laevigata.
Comment: This species is a multi-stemmed, clumping to spreading, deciduous shrub with an upright irregular spreading habit. Mature plants ranged from 2-3 m tall x 0.5-2 m wide. Leaves are deciduous, alternate, and simple ranging from ovate to obovate, 3-8 cm long x 2-3.5 cm wide. The leaf margins are entire or, sometimes, minutely serrulate; the upper surface of the leaves is glabrous to densely unicellular-hairy, while the underside of the leaf surface ranges from glabrous to sparsely scattered eglandular-hairy. Most plants are in peak fall color ranging from pale yellow (in shade) to brilliant scarlet red (in more sun). Fruits are borne in clusters on erect pedicels, ~2.5 cm long and with eglandular hairs on the capsules (occasionally nearly glabrous by the end of the season as well). Plants are found occasionally along the edges of the woodlands associated with the spring fed wetland.
Collector(s):