larger creeks and rivers. Seldom are these outcrops exposed above 

 the ordinary water level, and if they do occur at higher elevations, 

 any unusual plants which may temporarily become established there 

 are soon swept away by flood waters. In contrast to these rare 

 occurrences along creeks and rivers is a large area of Castle Hayne 

 limestone that crops out on the surface, or is buried beneath a few 

 inches of soil, in the vicinity of Rocky Point. The calcareous 

 substrate is mapped on the Pender County Soil Survey (1972) as an 

 Invershiel-Meggett soil association, but the better exposures of rock 

 are located between US 117 and the Northeast Cape Fear River. 



Along SR 1517, a flat wooded area has been recognized for several 

 years by the senior author as f loristically unusual, but never 

 examined extensively. These woodlands can be immediately recognized 

 by several botanical indicators. Wet, swampy areas often have a 

 very dense understory (shrub stratum) of the dwarf palmetto, Sabal 

 minor . The dominant forest is usually a mix of hardwood species, 

 but not the common oak-hickory association which is found elsewhere 

 in the State. Basswood is a common canopy component along woodland 

 borders, and pines are very infrequent, if at all present in any given 

 stand. In deciduous forests the spring flora is sometimes notable; 

 here, it is not unusually diverse, but the associates may be uncommon. 

 For example, the red buckeye is very abundant, and in some parts of 

 the woodlands, the wild ginger, Asarum . Species more commonly found 

 in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge sometimes reach their eastern range 

 limits in these forests. In woodlands with circumneutral soils, we 

 have collected such taxa as Collinsonia canadensis , Thalictrum 

 thalictroides , Anemone virginiana , and Silphium asteriscus . A few 

 noteworthy southern species reach the northern limits of their distribution 

 in this area. 



Because the soil is sometimes rocky, gravelly, or fossiliferous, 

 the area is occasionally frequented by paleontologists or others 

 seeking sharks teeth, bones, or other animal remains. The natural 

 area provides many opportunities for research, and is one of the 

 most distinctive habitats in Pender County. 



11B. Prose Description of Site Significance: Significant features of the 



Rocky Point Marl Forest include a broad spectrum of geological, edaphic, 

 and biological elements. The most important feature to us is the 

 uniqueness of the total habitat — a mixed hardwood forest developed 

 over a calcareous substrate. Plants of interest in this natural area 

 are nutmeg hickory (Carya myristicaeformis ) which was first reported 

 from the McRae farm (only known county where it occurs in NC) , Rue Ilia 

 strepens , also known only from this area in NC, Scirpus fontinalis , a 

 rare member of the sedge family, Cornus asperifolia , known only from 

 New Hanover and Pender Counties, and Car ex willdenowii var. megarhyncha , 

 a variety collected only once from the McRae farm, and found elsewhere 

 in Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana. Futher botanical investigation 

 will doubtlessly disclose other species of interest. With the exception 

 of the Maple Hill area, the Rocky Point Marl Forest probably has the 

 highest potential for new species occurrences as any place in the county. 



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