14 November 2023.
Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Locality: Francis Marion National Forest: plants growing in wetlands/swamps on US Forest Service Road 223 approximately 0.57 kilometers southeast from the junction with Halfway Creek Road.
Coordinates: 33.0676, -79.6779
(Map it)
Elevation: 11m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants are growing in the understory of the acidic swamp that is seasonally inundated in shade. Slope: N/A. Aspect: N/A. The underlying geology of this area is of Pleistocene origin and characterized as an Socastee Formation. This is a low coastal formation in the Carolinas like Penholoway but younger and lower in altitude. It is comprised primarily of unconsolidated, fine-detrital clay. It is described as variegated quartzose sands, argillaceous sands, and clays, 5 m thick at the type section near Socastee Swamp. (Source: USGS South Carolina Geologic Map Data.) The primary soil type in this collection area is classified as Rutlege Series loamy fine sand. Rutlege Series soils are very deep, very poorly drained soils that are sandy, siliceous, thermic Typic Humaquepts. Upper strata soils (0-38 cm) are black loamy sand with weak medium granular structure. They are loose and very strongly acid. Lower strata (38-175 cm) range from dark gray to dark brown sand that is single grained, loose, and very strongly acid. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey.)
Number of plants sampled: 15
Associated species: Arundinaria tecta; Liquidambar styraciflua; Smilax laurifolia; Nekemias arborea (as Ampelopsis arborea); Acer rubrum; Viburnum dentatum; Clethra alnifolia; Gordonia lasianthus; Ilex opaca; Persea palustris; Magnolia virginiana; Pinus taeda; Leucothoe axillaris; Ilex coriacea; Vitis rotundifolia (as Muscadinia rotundifolia); Morella cerifera; Woodwardia areolata; Gelsemium sempervirens; Vaccinium corymbosum; Ilex myrtifolia; Taxodium distichum; Quercus laurifolia; Cephalanthus occidentalis; Hydrangea barbara (as Decumaria barbara); Pontederia cordata; Chamaecyparis thyoides; Lyonia lucida; Hypericum sp.; Smilax walteri; Aronia arbutifolia; Baccharis halimifolia; Cornus foemina (as Swida foemina); Hydrocotyle verticillata; Ilex glabra; Carex sp.; Viburnum nudum; Nyssa aquatica.
Comment: This species is a multi-stemmed, colonial, deciduous shrub to 0.5-2.5 m tall x 1-2 m in diameter with an upright arching habit. Stems are erect or arching, forming clumps by underground runners; young stems are green, occasionally reddish-green. Leaves are elliptic to oblong-oblanceolate, 2-9 cm long x 1-4 cm wide; margins are glandular-serrate to serrulate. Leaves are changing from green to a wine-red color. Capsules are born in racemes and are cylindrical and 0.7-1 cm long. Plants are common at this site.
Collector(s):