07 December 2023.
Monroe County, Alabama, United States
Locality: Between Monroe County Route 1 and Tom Hayles Road.
Coordinates: 31.4058, -87.5489
(Map it)
Elevation: 22m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: In woodlands on limestone outcrop. While the upper area of slopes is covered by a thin soil layer, the exposed limestone rock outcrop on the northwestern edge of this area is a low competition niche for plants like the Hydrangea to gain a foothold. Slope: 60% (plus). Aspect: Northwest. Elevation: 72 feet.
Number of plants sampled: 4
Associated species: Hydrangea arborescens; Aesculus parviflora; Bignonia capreolata; Hexastylis arifolia; Adiantum capillus-veneris; Lithospermum tuberosum; Magnolia acuminata; Ostrya virginiana; Juniperus virginiana; Frangula caroliniana; Euonymus americanus; Rhus glabra; Hydrangea barbara [listed as Decumaria barbara]; Solidago flexicaulis; Quercus michauxii; Liquidambar styraciflua; Acer saccharum subsp. floridanum [listed as Acer floridanum]; Quercus nigra; Carpinus caroliniana; Spigelia marilandica; Anemone acutiloba [listed as Hepatica acutiloba]; Heuchera americana; Viola walteri; Ulmus americana; Vitis sp.; Platanus occidentalis; Carex flaccosperma; Celtis pumila [listed as Celtis tenuifolia]; Ditrysinia fruticosa; Elephantopus sp.; Smilax sp.; Viburnum rufidulum; Viburnum dentatum; Sideroxylon lanuginosum; Hamamelis virginiana; Aralia spinosa; Rubus sp.; Asplenium platyneuron.
Comment: Oakleaf hydrangea is a multistemmed or occasionally single-stemmed deciduous woody shrub, 3-8 feet tall. Young stems are pubescent with orangish-brown to whitish hairs, aging reddish-brown to gray, exfoliating. Often occurring with wild hydrangea, found growing on banks or benches of streams and rivers, bluffs, ravine slopes, or rocky outcrops. Leaves oak-like, suborbicular to ovate in outline, lobed, opposite, petiolate; lower surfaces with dense gray-silver pubescence; upper surfaces dark green to olive green, glabrous to sparsely pubescent; margins serrate. Fall color in beautiful shades of orange, red, yellow, and purple. Flowers in large, terminal, conical panicles of 500-1000 flowers. Marginal flowers large, sterile, with white sepals, aging to greenish-white, pink, reddish. Smaller bisexual flowers are fertile, white. Dried inflorescence persistent. Fruit is a hemispheric capsule. A plant for all seasons. Plants are occasional on the exposed limestone edge at this site. Seed collected from 4 plants.
Collector(s):