06 December 2023.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Blackwater State Forest: plants are growing in wetlands accessed by foot from Buddy Hardy Road. The collection site is approximately 0.14 kilometers west and downhill from the road.
Coordinates: 30.8084, -86.9628
(Map it)
Elevation: 43m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Growing in part-shade of the well-drained moist-dry mesic habitat about 2-3 m above the wetland. In this zone there are numerous facultative wetland species as well as high competition from facultative upland plants. Slope: 5 to 10 percent. Aspect: Variable. The underlying geology of this area is the Citronelle Formation of Pliocene origin and consists of gray to orange, often mottled, unconsolidated to poorly consolidated, very fine to very coarse, poorly sorted, clean to clayey sands. It contains significant amounts of clay, silt and gravel which may occur as beds and lenses and may vary considerably over short distances. Limonite nodules and limonite-cemented beds are common. (Source: USGS Florida Geologic Map Data.) The Troup Series (5 to 8% slopes) consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soil formed in unconsolidated sandy and loamy marine sediments. Troup soils are on ridges and hillslopes. The upper 0-13 cm is comprised primarily of decomposing sphagnum peat with a significant amount of fibrous root content. From 15-112 cm the soil is comprised primarily of fine-grained yellowish-brown sand with varying amounts of root content; this zone is strongly acid. From 112-203 cm the soil is comprised of light-red to red sandy clay loam that is discontinuous, generally friable, and strongly acid. (Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey.)
Number of plants sampled: 30
Associated species: Illicium floridanum; Ilex coriacea; Oxydendrum arboreum; Cyrilla racemiflora; Quercus laurifolia; Quercus nigra; Symplocos tinctoria; Magnolia grandiflora; Ilex glabra; Morella cerifera Pumila Group [originally listed as M. pumila]; Quercus michauxii; Lyonia lucida; Lyonia ligustrina; Pinus palustris; Castanea pumila; Clethra alnifolia; Vaccinium corymbosum; Gordonia lasianthus; Magnolia virginiana; Toxicodendron vernix; Morella caroliniensis; Itea virginica; Cartrema americana; Eubotrys racemosus; Acer rubrum; Aristida stricta; Aralia spinosa; Hamamelis virginiana; Pteridium aquilinum; Persea palustris; Osmundastrum cinnamomeum; Rhexia sp.; Cliftonia monophylla; Kalmia hirsuta; Vaccinium elliottii; Aronia arbutifolia; Hypericum sp.; Quercus marilandica; Vaccinium darrowii; Diospyros virginiana; Rhododendron canescens; Gaylussacia sp.; Pityopsis graminifolia; Quercus margarettiae; Smilax sp.; Gaylussacia mosieri; Lycopodiella alopecuroides; Liatris spicata var. resinosa; Macranthera flammea; Platanthera ciliaris; Peltandra sagittifolia; Rhynchospora; sp.; Polygala cruciata; Rhexia alifanus; Sarracenia rosea; Pinus palustris; Nyssa biflora; Liriodendron sp.[possible new species]; Xyris ambigua; Hibiscus aculeatus; Vitis rotundifolia [originally listed as Muscadinia rotundifolia]; Viburnum nudum; Woodwardia areolata; Lilium iridollae; Eriocaulon decangulare; Smilax laurifolia; Vaccinium sp.; Sarracenia leucophylla; Platanthera blaphariglottis; Platanthera ciliaris x blaphariglottis; Cleistesiopsis oricamporum; Drosera tracyi.
Comment: This species is a multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub, forming a heavily rhizomatous spreading-habit. Most of the plants in this population are growing in the zone along the lower edge of controlled burn area where they are regularly burned to the ground. As a result, shrubs in this population are approximately 0.2-1.3 m tall x 0.3 to 4 m wide. Leaves have mostly dropped, but a few remaining leaves are elliptic-ovate to obovate, ranging from 1.5-3 cm long with short petioles, 3-8 mm long. Leaf veins are deeply impressed above and the margins are finely serrated. Young twigs are quite hairy. Capsules are borne in clusters at the base of whorls of current season’s growth. Capsules are borne on hairy to stipitate glandular-covered pedicels, 2-3 cm long. Capsules are 7-11 mm long x 4-7 mm wide and covered in stipitate glandular hairs. Plants are common to frequent along the edges of moist area and dry mesic area above the wetland. Seeds collected from 30 plants. Note: The collection of seed from this Rhododendron viscosum population was specifically made because of its unique and consistent growth form which is quite common in western Florida and also been observed in other locations from Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and east to the highlands of North Carolina. Molecular work is underway to determine if this low-growing, highly rhizomatous form of Rhododendron viscosum is a distinct genotype. While this collector has chosen to list this collection as “[unnamed low-growing rhizomatous form],” Ron Miller refers to this form by the name Rhododendron viscosum var. aemulans.
Collector(s):