Difference between revisions of "Ilex ambigua"

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{{taxobox
 
{{taxobox
 
| name = Ilex ambigua
 
| name = Ilex ambigua
| image = Insert.jpg
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| image = Ilex_Ambi.jpg
| image_caption =  
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| image_caption = Photo by Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, [http://www.forestryimages.org  Bugwood.org]
 
| regnum = Plantae
 
| regnum = Plantae
 
| divisio = Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
 
| divisio = Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Line 18: Line 18:
 
}}
 
}}
  
Common name: Carolina holly
+
Common name: Carolina holly<ref name="weakley">Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-atlantic states. Working Draft of 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.</ref>
 +
 
 
==Taxonomic notes==
 
==Taxonomic notes==
 +
Synonyms: ''I. montana'' ''var. mollis'' (A. Gray) Britton; ''I. montana'' var. ''beadlei''  W.W. Ashe) Fernald; ''I. beadlei'' W.W. Ashe; ''I. buswellii'' Small; ''I. beadlei'' var. ''laevis'' W.W. Ashe; ''I. caroliniana'' Trelease ex Small;  ''I. mollis'' A. Gray.<ref name="weakley">Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-atlantic states. Working Draft of 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.</ref>
 +
 +
Varieties: none.<ref name="weakley">Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-atlantic states. Working Draft of 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.</ref>
 +
 +
 +
Ilex derives from the ancient name of the European holly oak and ambigua refers to the similarity to other ''Ilex'' species.<ref name="bio">[[http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/shrub/ilam.htm]] Accessed: January 6, 2016</ref>
 +
 
==Description==  
 
==Description==  
 
<!-- Basic life history facts such as annual/perrenial, monoecious/dioecious, root morphology, seed type, etc. -->
 
<!-- Basic life history facts such as annual/perrenial, monoecious/dioecious, root morphology, seed type, etc. -->
 +
''I. ambigua'' is a perennial large shrub or small tree that has glabrous to densely pubescent, irregular branches. The fruit is a red, translucent drupe that is eaten by animals such as birds, squirrels, and deer.<ref name="fs">[[http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/ileamb/all.html]]USDA Forest Service. Accessed: January 6, 2016</ref>
 +
 +
"Trees or shrubs, usually with imperfect flowers. Leaves simple, entire, serrate, dentate or crenate; stipules obsolete. Flowers axillary, solitary, fascicled or in cymes, 4-7 merous, 4-8 mm broad; petals united at the base, imbricate in bud; pistillate flowers usually with nonfunctional stamens; anthers opening lengthwise; stigmas 4-7, essentially sessile. Drupe red, black or rarely yellow or white. Seeds with hard, bony endocarp (pyrenes), often grooved or ribbed on the back, 4-7 in a fruit, 1 in each locule."<ref name="Radford et al 1964">Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 679-81. Print.</ref>
 +
 +
"Small to large shrub or small tree, branches glabrous to densely pubescent. Leaves deciduous, glabrous to densely pubescent, beneath, glabrous to slightly pubescent and dull above, lanceolate, or obovate to elliptic, 4-18 cm long, 1.5-7 cm wide, acute or acuminate, finely to coarsely serrate, or crenate-serrate; petioles 0.3-1.5 cm long. Pedicels 1-3 mm long, glabrous to densely pubescent. Staminate flowers fascicled, usually on spur shoots. Pistillate flowers axillary, solitary, usually on short sour growths. Flowers 4-merous. Drupe red, translucent, globose, 5-9 mm in diam.; pyrenes 4, with fairly deep furrows on the back, 4-7 mm long. This is probably our most polymorphic species and is here recognized by two fairly distinct varieties: var. ''ambigua'' and var. ''montana''."<ref name="Radford et al 1964"/>
  
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
 +
The native range includes the Coastal Plain from North Carolina, northern Georgia, northern Alabama, central Arkansas, and southeastern Oklahoma south to central Florida, the Gulf Coast, and eastern Texas.<ref name="fs"/>
 +
 
==Ecology==
 
==Ecology==
 
===Habitat=== <!--Natural communities, human disturbed habitats, topography, hydrology, soils, light, fire regime requirements for removal of competition, etc.-->
 
===Habitat=== <!--Natural communities, human disturbed habitats, topography, hydrology, soils, light, fire regime requirements for removal of competition, etc.-->
In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, ''Ilex ambigua'' occurs in magnolia-hickory hammocks, longleaf pine-turkey oak sand ridges, edges of limestone sinks, ''Pinus clausa''/''Ceratolia'' scrubs, stabilized sand dunes, and calcareous slopes in mesic deciduous woodlands. It appears in disturbed areas such as old fields, railroad beds, and disturbed pine flatwoods (FSU Herbarium). Soils include loam, sand, loamy sand, and reddish clay (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include ''Ilex vomitoria, Panicum commutatum, Calamintha georgiana, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Castanea pumila, Crataegus, Desmodium ochroleucum'' and ''Commelina erecta'' (FSU Herbarium).
+
In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, ''Ilex ambigua'' occurs in well-drained sites such as magnolia-hickory hammocks, longleaf pine-turkey oak sand ridges, edges of limestone sinks, ''Pinus clausa''/''Ceratolia'' scrubs, stabilized sand dunes, and calcareous slopes in mesic deciduous woodlands.<ref name="FSU Herbarium">Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: [http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu]. Last accessed: October 2015. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, George R. Cooley, Kathleen Craddock Burks,  A. Gholson Jr., Robert K. Godfrey, Mary G. Henry, Melvin Jackson, Lisa Keppner, R. Kral, Sidney McDaniel, Mary E. Nolan, R.A. Norris, James D. Ray Jr. States and Counties: Florida: Alachua, Calhoun, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Holmes, Jackson, Lake, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Orange, Sarasota, Wakulla, Walton, Washington. Georgia: Baker, Decatur, Grady, Marion. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.</ref> Stephenson (1986) found that ''I. ambigua'' is one of the leading dominants in successional areas that were once dominated by the American chestnut. It appears in disturbed areas such as old fields, railroad beds, and disturbed pine flatwoods.<ref name="FSU Herbarium"/> Soils include loam, sand, loamy sand, and reddish clay.<ref name="FSU Herbarium"/> Associated species include ''Ilex vomitoria, I. opaca, I. glabra, Panicum commutatum, Calamintha georgiana, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Castanea pumila, Crataegus, Desmodium ochroleucum'', and ''Commelina erecta''.<ref name="FSU Herbarium"/>
  
 
===Phenology=== <!--Timing off flowering, fruiting, seed dispersal, and environmental triggers.  Cite PanFlora website if appropriate: http://www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ -->
 
===Phenology=== <!--Timing off flowering, fruiting, seed dispersal, and environmental triggers.  Cite PanFlora website if appropriate: http://www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ -->
It is documented to flower April through May and fruit April through December (FSU Herbarium).
+
This is a dioecious species that produces sessile, red, translucent, drupes when fertilized.<ref name="fs"/> The fruits are elliptical, rather than round, and fall quickly after ripening.<ref name="wildflower">[[http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ILAM]] Accessed: January 6, 2016</ref> This species flowers April through May<ref>Nelson, G.  [http://www.gilnelson.com/ PanFlora]: Plant data for the eastern United States with emphasis on the Southeastern Coastal Plains, Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/  Accessed: 19 MAY 2021</ref> and fruits April through December.<ref name="FSU Herbarium"/>
  
 
===Seed dispersal===
 
===Seed dispersal===
 +
Seeds are dispersed by animals.<ref name="fs"/>
 +
 
===Seed bank and germination===
 
===Seed bank and germination===
 +
No specific information is available for seed germination requirements.<ref name="fs"/>
 +
 
===Fire ecology=== <!--Fire tolerance, fire dependence, adaptive fire responses-->
 
===Fire ecology=== <!--Fire tolerance, fire dependence, adaptive fire responses-->
 +
It occurs in Florida sand pine scrubs which are maintained by fire every 10 to 100 years; however, it may be eliminated from the understory in communities that are subject to frequent fires. When fire is suppressed in sand pine scrubs, ''I. ambigua'' is one of the early successional hardwoods that appear.<ref name="fs"/>
 +
 
===Pollination===
 
===Pollination===
The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of ''Ilex ambigua'' at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):
+
The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of ''Ilex ambigua'' at the Archbold Biological Station:<ref name="Deyrup 2015">Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.</ref>
 +
 
 +
Bees from the family Apidae:  ''Apis mellifera''
 +
 
 +
Sweat bees from the family Halictidae:  ''Agapostemon splendens, Lasioglossum pectoralis''
 +
 
 +
Wasps from the family Leucospididae: ''Leucospis slossonae''
  
Apidae:  ''Apis mellifera''
+
Spider wasps from the family Pompilidae:  ''Anoplius marginalis''
  
Halictidae:  ''Agapostemon splendens, Lasioglossum pectoralis''
+
Thread-waisted wasps from the family Sphecidae:  ''Cerceris fumipennis, Isodontia mexicana''
  
Leucospididae:  ''Leucospis slossonae''
+
Wasps from the family Vespidae:  ''Euodynerus boscii boharti, Polistes metricus, Stenodynerus lineatifrons, Zethus spinipes''
  
Pompilidae:  ''Anoplius marginalis''
+
===Herbivory and toxicology===
 +
The drupes are eaten by animals such as birds, white-tailed deer, and squirrels.<ref name="fs"/>
 +
<!--===Diseases and parasites===-->
  
Sphecidae:  ''Cerceris fumipennis, Isodontia mexicana''
+
==Conservation, cultivation, and restoration==
 +
This species is listed threatened by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services<ref name="fs"/>.
  
Vespidae:  ''Euodynerus boscii boharti, Polistes metricus, Stenodynerus lineatifrons, Zethus spinipes''
+
==Cultural use==
  
===Use by animals=== <!--Herbivory, granivory, insect hosting, etc.-->
 
===Diseases and parasites===
 
==Conservation and Management==
 
==Cultivation and restoration==
 
 
==Photo Gallery==
 
==Photo Gallery==
 +
<gallery widths=180px>
 +
File: Ilex_Ambi_5428069RDW.jpg | <center> Flowers of ''Ilex'' ''ambigua'' <p> Photo by Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, [http://www.forestryimages.org  Bugwood.org] </p>
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
==References and notes==
 
==References and notes==
Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.
+
 
 +
Stephenson, S. L. (1986). "Changes in a Former Chestnut-Dominated Forest after a Half Century of Succession." American Midland Naturalist 116(1): 173-179.

Latest revision as of 14:58, 1 July 2022

Ilex ambigua
Ilex Ambi.jpg
Photo by Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Order: Celastrales
Family: Aquifoliaceae
Genus: Ilex
Species: I. ambigua
Binomial name
Ilex ambigua
(Michx.) Torr.
Ilex ambi dist.jpg
Natural range of Ilex ambigua from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Carolina holly[1]

Taxonomic notes

Synonyms: I. montana var. mollis (A. Gray) Britton; I. montana var. beadlei W.W. Ashe) Fernald; I. beadlei W.W. Ashe; I. buswellii Small; I. beadlei var. laevis W.W. Ashe; I. caroliniana Trelease ex Small; I. mollis A. Gray.[1]

Varieties: none.[1]


Ilex derives from the ancient name of the European holly oak and ambigua refers to the similarity to other Ilex species.[2]

Description

I. ambigua is a perennial large shrub or small tree that has glabrous to densely pubescent, irregular branches. The fruit is a red, translucent drupe that is eaten by animals such as birds, squirrels, and deer.[3]

"Trees or shrubs, usually with imperfect flowers. Leaves simple, entire, serrate, dentate or crenate; stipules obsolete. Flowers axillary, solitary, fascicled or in cymes, 4-7 merous, 4-8 mm broad; petals united at the base, imbricate in bud; pistillate flowers usually with nonfunctional stamens; anthers opening lengthwise; stigmas 4-7, essentially sessile. Drupe red, black or rarely yellow or white. Seeds with hard, bony endocarp (pyrenes), often grooved or ribbed on the back, 4-7 in a fruit, 1 in each locule."[4]

"Small to large shrub or small tree, branches glabrous to densely pubescent. Leaves deciduous, glabrous to densely pubescent, beneath, glabrous to slightly pubescent and dull above, lanceolate, or obovate to elliptic, 4-18 cm long, 1.5-7 cm wide, acute or acuminate, finely to coarsely serrate, or crenate-serrate; petioles 0.3-1.5 cm long. Pedicels 1-3 mm long, glabrous to densely pubescent. Staminate flowers fascicled, usually on spur shoots. Pistillate flowers axillary, solitary, usually on short sour growths. Flowers 4-merous. Drupe red, translucent, globose, 5-9 mm in diam.; pyrenes 4, with fairly deep furrows on the back, 4-7 mm long. This is probably our most polymorphic species and is here recognized by two fairly distinct varieties: var. ambigua and var. montana."[4]

Distribution

The native range includes the Coastal Plain from North Carolina, northern Georgia, northern Alabama, central Arkansas, and southeastern Oklahoma south to central Florida, the Gulf Coast, and eastern Texas.[3]

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, Ilex ambigua occurs in well-drained sites such as magnolia-hickory hammocks, longleaf pine-turkey oak sand ridges, edges of limestone sinks, Pinus clausa/Ceratolia scrubs, stabilized sand dunes, and calcareous slopes in mesic deciduous woodlands.[5] Stephenson (1986) found that I. ambigua is one of the leading dominants in successional areas that were once dominated by the American chestnut. It appears in disturbed areas such as old fields, railroad beds, and disturbed pine flatwoods.[5] Soils include loam, sand, loamy sand, and reddish clay.[5] Associated species include Ilex vomitoria, I. opaca, I. glabra, Panicum commutatum, Calamintha georgiana, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Castanea pumila, Crataegus, Desmodium ochroleucum, and Commelina erecta.[5]

Phenology

This is a dioecious species that produces sessile, red, translucent, drupes when fertilized.[3] The fruits are elliptical, rather than round, and fall quickly after ripening.[6] This species flowers April through May[7] and fruits April through December.[5]

Seed dispersal

Seeds are dispersed by animals.[3]

Seed bank and germination

No specific information is available for seed germination requirements.[3]

Fire ecology

It occurs in Florida sand pine scrubs which are maintained by fire every 10 to 100 years; however, it may be eliminated from the understory in communities that are subject to frequent fires. When fire is suppressed in sand pine scrubs, I. ambigua is one of the early successional hardwoods that appear.[3]

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Ilex ambigua at the Archbold Biological Station:[8]

Bees from the family Apidae: Apis mellifera

Sweat bees from the family Halictidae: Agapostemon splendens, Lasioglossum pectoralis

Wasps from the family Leucospididae: Leucospis slossonae

Spider wasps from the family Pompilidae: Anoplius marginalis

Thread-waisted wasps from the family Sphecidae: Cerceris fumipennis, Isodontia mexicana

Wasps from the family Vespidae: Euodynerus boscii boharti, Polistes metricus, Stenodynerus lineatifrons, Zethus spinipes

Herbivory and toxicology

The drupes are eaten by animals such as birds, white-tailed deer, and squirrels.[3]

Conservation, cultivation, and restoration

This species is listed threatened by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services[3].

Cultural use

Photo Gallery

References and notes

Stephenson, S. L. (1986). "Changes in a Former Chestnut-Dominated Forest after a Half Century of Succession." American Midland Naturalist 116(1): 173-179.

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-atlantic states. Working Draft of 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  2. [[1]] Accessed: January 6, 2016
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 [[2]]USDA Forest Service. Accessed: January 6, 2016
  4. 4.0 4.1 Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 679-81. Print.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: October 2015. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, George R. Cooley, Kathleen Craddock Burks, A. Gholson Jr., Robert K. Godfrey, Mary G. Henry, Melvin Jackson, Lisa Keppner, R. Kral, Sidney McDaniel, Mary E. Nolan, R.A. Norris, James D. Ray Jr. States and Counties: Florida: Alachua, Calhoun, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Holmes, Jackson, Lake, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Orange, Sarasota, Wakulla, Walton, Washington. Georgia: Baker, Decatur, Grady, Marion. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.
  6. [[3]] Accessed: January 6, 2016
  7. Nelson, G. PanFlora: Plant data for the eastern United States with emphasis on the Southeastern Coastal Plains, Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ Accessed: 19 MAY 2021
  8. Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.