Rare and local in mixed pine-oak forest
In still blackwater (2 ft depth) branched off a deeper bogue. Froze when he saw us. We sat by him for about five minutes and he didn’t budge until we left.
in a couple of other zoomed-in shots, I can see craters on the Moon
Accidentally scared out of a hole in a dead tree.
In shallow riffle (maybe 2 inches) with heavy debris and under heavy shade from trees. Approximately 10 feet upstream from drop off into deep pool of longear sunfish
I have visited this population before in fruiting season (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/7736433).
This observation is to document several points:
1) There are some new stems coming up (1st 3 photos) but most stems bear leaves that overwintered. No indication of fall deciduousness.
2) New leaves have a very close downy surface (photo 3); some old leaves are glabrous underneath (and green), others have some down (and are pale). Upper surface shiny, leathery.
4) Some leaves have red midribs.
5) All have very short petioles (~sessile). All are bristle-tipped.
6) I saw no lobed leaves.
7) Population very low stature (<1 m, no trunklike stems, plants form a ground cover and may be joined underground).
8) Buds are small. Twigs are pubescent.
Overall the leaves are very similar to oak I'm trying to ID at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21270437 (except for lacking lobes), but the buds are smaller and the habit is distinctly different, as those stems are upright, trunklike and taller, and the twigs are glabrous. EDIT: those seem to have turned out to be bluejack oak, Quercus incana.