Associated Forest Cover
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Sites preferred by Carolina silverbell, the most mesic with the
best soils, are those on which a number of hardwoods reach their
best development. Consequently, it is found in association with a
large number of hardwood species as well as occasionally with
conifers.
In Piedmont areas, the species is associated with yellow-poplar
(Liriodendron tulipifera), white ash (Fraxinus
americana), red maple (Acer rubrum), white oak Quercus
alba), American holly (Ilex opaca), eastern redbud
(Cercis canadensis), and bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia
macrophylla). In the southern part of its range it occurs
with American beech (Fagus grandifolia), southern
magnolia (M. grandiflora), American holly,
various oaks, cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto), Florida
maple (Acer barbatum), eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya
virginiana), and eastern redbud (4). In the Black Mountains
of North Carolina, Carolina silverbell is a significant associate
in the northern hardwoods climax association at high elevations
and in the cove climax and mesic slope associations at
mid-elevations (10). It occurs and may share canopy dominance
with eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), yellow buckeye
(Aesculus octandra), white basswood (Tilia
heterophylla), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and
yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) in the Great Smoky
Mountains and the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest (20,24,25,35).
Prominent associates of the species in a gorge in the Blue Ridge
Mountains of western North Carolina were northern red oak Quercus
rubra), chestnut oak (Q. prinus), sweet birch (Betula
lenta), yellow-poplar, flowering dogwood (Cornus
florida), and Fraser magnolia (Magnolia fraseri).
Carolina silverbell is associated with the following forest cover
types (Society of American Foresters) (13):
23 Eastern Hemlock
24 Eastern Hemlock-Yellow Birch
25 Sugar Maple-Beech-Yellow Birch
26 Sugar Maple-Basswood
27 Sugar Maple
28 Black Cherry-Maple
57 Yellow-Poplar
58 Yellow-Poplar-Eastern Hemlock
59 Yellow-Poplar-White Oak-Northern Red Oak
60 Beech-Sugar Maple
74 Cabbage Palmetto
76 Shortleaf Pine-Oak
82 Loblolly Pine-Hardwood
87 Sweetgum-Yellow-Poplar
91 Swamp Chestnut Oak-Cherrybark Oak
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Climate
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The climate over the range of Carolina silverbell is superhumid in
the southern Appalachians and humid in the other areas, with
temperatures that vary considerably with latitude and elevation.
Average annual precipitation varies between 1020 mm and 1140 min
(40 and 45 in) in the northern part of the range to more than
2030 min (80 in) in the southern Appalachians. Precipitation is
well distributed over the year. Average January temperatures
range from -1° to 13° C (30° to 55° F) and
average July temperatures range from 21° to 27° C (70°
to 80° F). The average annual maximum temperatures range
from 32° to 41° C (90° to 105° F) and the
average minimum from -4° to -21° C (25° to -50 F).
The length of the frost-free period ranges from 160 to 280 days.
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Damaging Agents
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Carolina silverbell appears to be free of
serious insect pests or diseases (17,23).
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Flowering and Fruiting
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Carolina silverbell has perfect
flowers which appear as the leaves begin to expand in March to
May, depending upon location (8,24,30). Each flower has a
four-celled ovary, but usually only one cell produces a viable
seed (15,17). Larger flower crops are produced annually after the
20th to 25th year (17). The fruit is a dry, oblong, four-winged
drupe that matures in the fall.
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Genetics
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The first published description of Carolina silverbell appeared in
1731 in Mark Catesby's Natural History of Carolina (17).
Linnaeus made a taxonomic description of it in 1759 and named it
Halesia carolina L. There is evidence that the specimen
used by Linnaeus may have been a different species; nevertheless,
Halesia carolina is the name currently accepted. The
genus has two other species with limited distribution in the
southeastern and southern Piedmont and Coastal Plain. They are
H. parviflora Michx. and H. diptera Ellis. All
have n=12 chromosomes (7,9,27,31).
No studies on population differences in this species have been
reported. However, its wide and discontinuous distribution likely
has produced significant variation among and within populations
over its range.
The large form of Carolina silverbell that grows in the southern
Appalachian Mountains was at one time considered to be a separate
species from the smaller form that occupies the rest of the
range. It was given the name H. monticola (Rehd.) Sarg.
but it differs from the smaller form only in size, and recent
authors consider it synonymous with H. carolina (7,11,20,34).
Intergradation between H. carolina L. and H.
parviflora Michx. (little silverbell) is suspected in the
northern Coastal Plain where their distributions overlap (7).
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Growth and Yield
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Over most of its range, Carolina
silverbell (fig. 3) is an understory shrub or small tree usually
reaching heights of 6 to 12 in (20 to 40 ft) with a crown spread
of 4.5 to 9 in (15 to 30 ft) and stem diameters of 12 to 27 cm (5
to 11 in). On good sites in the Great Smoky Mountains, however,
some trees reach 30 m (100 ft) in height and 90 cm (36 in) in
d.b.h. Only on cove and north slope sites in the mountains do
trees of this species maintain crown positions in the upper
canopy and reach large sawtimber size (8,12,23,24). Growth rates
of individual trees are moderate to slow, the smaller ones
showing 6 to 9 rings per centimeter (15 to 23/in) (12,17,24). No
data are available on volumes per unit area, but the species
could be expected to contribute significant volumes to the mixed
hardwood stands only on the best sites in the mountains.
Estimated total cubic volumes in 1980 in the mountains of three
States are as follows (19):
m³
ft³
Thousands
Georgia
81
2,861
North Carolina
1171
41,353
South Carolina
42
1,492
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Reaction to Competition
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Carolina silverbell grows as an
understory tree over most of its range and as a codominant in the
mountains. It is classed as a shade-tolerant tree. A moist,
loamy, partially shaded soil makes the best seedbed for either
natural or artificial regeneration, although the species has been
found with mixed hardwoods which regenerated a large, burned area
in eastern Tennessee (7,23,24,26). In hemlock stands in western
North Carolina, the species occurred with greater frequency on
areas without a rhododendron cover than with (25). It competes
well with other species regenerating in gaps left by treefalls in
Southern Appalachian forests (29,36).
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Rooting Habit
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The rooting habit of Carolina silverbell
has not been studied, but the root systems are known to be very
persistent, because stumps sprout repeatedly when trees are cut
from pastures (8).
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Seed Production and Dissemination
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Large seed crops are
produced annually by older trees of Carolina silverbell but much
of the seed is sterile. The fruits are persistent and
dissemination occurs well into the winter. The seeds are dormant
to varying degrees at maturity and require special handling to
break the dormancy. They require 2 to 3 months of warm, moist
storage at 21° to 27° C (70° to 80° F)
followed by a similar period of cold stratification at 1° to
5° C (34° to 41° F). Even with this treatment,
germination of filled seeds may be 50 percent or lower (1,15).
Seeds disseminated in nature or sowed in a nursery without
special treatment germinate mostly during the second growing
season (11). Fruits to be stored should be kept dry and cold, but
no data are available on long-term storage (5).
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Seedling Development
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Germination of Carolina silverbell
seeds is epigeal. Seedlings grow to about 12 cm (5 in) the first
7 weeks. Growth continues at a moderate rate for a few years,
then slows considerably (17).
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Soils and Topography
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Soils over the range of Carolina silverbell are mostly Ultisols
but include sandy Entisols in the Southeast, Inceptisols in the
mountains, and Mollisols in southern Illinois (32). The species
prefers rich, moist, well-drained, loamy soil that is slightly
acid in reaction (pH 5.0 to 6.0). It can tolerate soils more acid
than that and may do well in soils with a pH up to 7.0 (11,23).
Carolina silverbell grows mostly along streams, river bluffs, and
ravine slopes in the Piedmont and other lowlands and along
streams, in coves, and on moist lower slopes in the mountains
(4,8,10,24, 28,30). It is significant in frequency at elevations
between 1370 and 1680 in (4,500 and 5,500 ft) and locally
abundant at elevations between 460 and 1370 in (1,500 and 4,500
ft) in the mountains (10,25).
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Special Uses
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The wood of Carolina silverbell has many fine properties which
make it very desirable for veneer, cabinet work, carving, and
turning. It is a favorite wood of craftsmen who make woodenware
for the tourist trade. The wood is soft with white or creamy
sapwood and light cherry-colored heartwood streaked with white.
Wood from larger trees has been sold as cherry or birch and the
wood is acceptable for pulping along with other hardwood species.
In the tourist trade it is sold under such names as bellwood,
tisswood, and boxelder (14,17,18,26).
Squirrels use Carolina silverbell seeds for food and the trees for
dens. The heavy flower crops in spring are very attractive to
bees, and eastern Tennessee beekeepers speak highly of the
species as a honey plant (12,22,33).
Carolina silverbell is best known for its ornamental qualities.
Its heavy crop of white, bell-shaped flowers in the spring and
its small to medium growth habit make it a favorite for small
gardens, lawns, patios, and tubs. It was first cultivated in 1756
and since has been successfully cultivated in the Eastern United
States, California, and western and central Europe (23,30). It
transplants well as balled and burlapped or container-grown stock
(11). Its best ornamental uses include border plantings in
combination with low-growing plants such as azaleas, at corners
of buildings and against a background of large evergreens. Its
blooms can best be seen from below, so the tree needs to be
conveniently accessible. Sprays of the flowers go well with
cut-flower arrangements (2,16,19,34). The large form from the
mountains should not be used in small gardens but can be used
with delightful results for street plantings, although it is not
quite as hardy as the smaller form. Some trees have predominantly
pink flowers, but a shady site may be required to produce this
trait (11,20,34).
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Vegetative Reproduction
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Carolina silver bell can easily
be propagated by root and greenwood cuttings and by air-layering.
Rooting hormones are not necessary for success but may enhance
rooting at certain times of the year. For best success, cuttings
should be taken after elongation of new growth but before
hardening beings. Roots should not be disturbed until the end of
the second season. Micropropagation techniques are being
developed (1,3,11,17).
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Distribution
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Carolina silverbell grows mostly in the Piedmont and mountains of
the Carolinas, eastern Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. Its
distribution extends beyond this central area, however, in small
populations scattered over the southeastern Coastal Plain,
western Virginia, West Virginia, southern Ohio, southern Indiana,
southern Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, central Arkansas, and
southeastern Oklahoma (6,27,30). The species has been
successfully cultivated as far north as southern New England, in
California, and in Europe (16,17,30).
-The native range of Carolina silverbell.
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Brief Summary
(
Anglèis
)
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Styracaceae -- Storax family
Earl R. Sluder
Carolina silverbell (Halesia carolina) is common and
reaches its greatest size in the southern Appalachian Mountains
where it is called mountain silverbell. This attractive shrub or
small tree, also called snowdrop-tree or opossum-wood, grows in
moist soils along streams in the understory of hardwood forests.
It has a moderate growth rate and lives about 100 years. The wood
is soft and close-grained and a favorite wood for crafts. The
white bell-shaped flowers and small size make it a desirable tree
for landscaping. The seeds are eaten by squirrels and the flowers
provide honey for bees.
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Halesia carolina
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Anglèis
)
fornì da wikipedia EN
Halesia carolina, commonly called Carolina silverbell or little silverbell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Styracaceae, native to the southeastern United States.
Description
It is a vigorous, fast-growing deciduous shrub or tree growing to 8 m (26 ft) tall by 10 m (33 ft) broad, bearing masses of pendent, bell-shaped white flowers which appear in spring before the leaves. The flowers are followed by green, four-winged fruit. The leaves turn yellow in autumn.[3][4]
Range
The range of little silverbells is very restricted. It is principally in the panhandle of Florida, with isolated smaller outlier populations in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi. In the cited reference, this species is referred to as Halesia parviflora.[5] The "champion" Halesia carolina on the 2015 American Forests' National Register of Champion Trees is quite removed from its natural range, being situated in Roxbury, New Hampshire.[6]
Taxonomy
There is a great deal of confusion in the four-winged American silverbells. Four principal species names have been used: H. carolina, H. parviflora, H. monticola, and H. tetraptera. The taxon being described here is the one that has also been described as H. parviflora.[7] Some botanists have discarded the name H. carolina because the original material is viewed as ambiguous; others maintain that the original material is this species, so carolina is here being used instead of parviflora, since H. carolina L. has clear precedence.[8]
Cultivation
In cultivation in the United Kingdom, H. carolina Vestita Group has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[9][10] It requires an acid or neutral soil, in a partially shaded position.
References
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Halesia carolina: Brief Summary
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Anglèis
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Halesia carolina, commonly called Carolina silverbell or little silverbell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Styracaceae, native to the southeastern United States.
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