Gordonia lasianthus L. ex Ellis

More info for the terms: shrub, tree

loblolly bay
holly bay
gordonia
bay

TAXONOMY:
The scientific name for loblolly bay is Gordonia lasianthus (L.) J. Ellis (Theacea) [10,25].

LIFE FORM:
Tree, Shrub

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status

OTHER STATUS:
NO-ENTRY




DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Gordonia lasianthus
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
Loblolly bay is distributed continuously along the Atlantic and Gulf
coastal plains from the Albermarle Sound of North Carolina to the
Appalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle. Discontinuous populations
exist in Florida, the coastal counties of Alabama, and southern
Mississippi. In South Carolina it is common in the lower Coastal Plain
but restricted to specific sites in the middle and upper Coastal Plain
[1,6,9,12].

More info for the term: forest

Loblolly bay is distributed continuously along the Atlantic and Gulf
coastal plains from the Albermarle Sound of North Carolina to the
Appalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle. Discontinuous populations
exist in Florida, the coastal counties of Alabama, and southern
Mississippi. In South Carolina it is common in the lower Coastal Plain
but restricted to specific sites in the middle and upper Coastal Plain
[1,6,9,12].



Distribution of loblolly bay. 1977 USDA, Forest Service map digitized by Thompson and others [26].

More info for the terms: marsh, peat, swamp

Within swamp bay forests, three fires occurring within 60 or 70 years or
a single, deep peat burn with a high postburn water table may produce
open marsh areas or "prairies". These open areas provide important
habitat for a number of wildlife species, including the sandhill crane,
bitterns, rails, gallinules, the round-tailed muskrat, and waterfowl
[5].

Loblolly bay occurs in evergreen shrub-tree bogsd and bayheads, baldcypress
(Taxodium distichum) swamps, and other and swamps [10,25].

More info for the terms: shrub, tree

Tree, Shrub

Because of its ability to grow in bogs and wet flats where loblolly pine
(Pinus taeda) does poorly, loblolly bay plantations may offer a
management alternative for such areas [12].

More info on this topic.

Loblolly bay flowers from the last week in June to the first week in
July. Flowers remain open for 1 or 2 days and are pollinated by bees,
flies, and hummingbirds. After the second day, the sepals and petals
fall, leaving the ovary at the end of the peduncle. As the ovaries
develop, they gradually turn brown and five sutures develop. Mature
open capsules first appear during September or October, and all the
capsules open by the middle of December. Seedfall starts in October,
peaks in December, and continues until early March [12].

Tree with adventitious-bud root crown/root sucker

The scientific name for loblolly bay is Gordonia lasianthus (L.) J. Ellis (Theacea) [10,25].