Sericocarpus tortifolius

Sericocarpus tortifolius
Photo was taken by Gil Nelson
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae ⁄ Compositae
Genus:	Sericocarpus
Species:	S. tortifolius
Binomial name
Sericocarpus tortifolius (Michx.) Nees
Natural range of Sericocarpus tortifolius from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Dixie whitetop aster

Description

A description of Sericocarpus tortifolius is provided in The Flora of North America.

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, S. tortifolius can be found in longleaf pine-wiregrass communities, flat pinelands, burned slash pines, longleaf pine-turkey oak, upland sand ridges, annually burned upland pines, dry pine barrens, live oak woodlands, wet flatwoods, open oak-hickory forests, longleaf pine savannas, and cabbage palm mixed hardwood hammocks (FSU Herbarium). Disturbed areas where it is found include rencently logged longleaf pine forests, margins of old fields, sandy fallow fields, vacant lots, roadsides, and pine plantations. Soil types include loamy sand, loam soils and sandy loam (FSU Herbarium).

Associated species include Andropogon, Schizachyrium, Pityopsis, Solidago, Balduina, and Sporobolus (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Flowering is documented March through November and fruiting July through November (FSU Herbarium).

Seed dispersal

According to Kay Kirkman, a plant ecologist, this species disperses by wind.

Fire ecology

It thrives in frequently burned pine communities (FSU Herbarium).

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Sericocarpus tortifolius at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Halictidae: Lasioglossum nymphalis

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.

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: July 2015. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Bruce Hansen, JoAnn Hansen, Robert L. Lazor, Robert K. Godfrey, A. F. Clewell, A. H. Curtiss, John Beckner, Richard S. Mitchell, C. Jackson, Paul L. Redfearn, Jr., R. E. Perdue, Jr., William B. Fox, R. Kral, Gary R. Knight, R. Komarek, R. A. Norris, Cecil R Slaughter, Steven P. Christman, David K. Dorman. States and Counties: Florida: Alachua, Bay, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Putnam, St. Johns, Wakulla. Georgia: Baker, Thomas. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.