LOCATION DEMORY FL
Established Series
Rev. JDS; WGH; GRB
10/2018
DEMORY SERIES
The Demory series consists of shallow, poorly drained, moderately slowly permeable soils on coastal lowlands of peninsular Florida. They formed in thin loamy marine sediments over limestone. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 72 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches. Slopes are less than 2 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, active, hyperthermic Lithic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Demory sandy clay loam--woodland (Colors are for moist soil).
0a--0 to 3 inches; black (10YR 2/1) muck; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots, few coarse roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
A--3 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy clay loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 19 inches thick)
C--7 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; neutral; abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
R--9+ inches; hard limestone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Levy County, Florida. Approximately 2,500 feet east and 1,000 feet south of the northwest corner of Sec. 12, T. 15 S., R. 14 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock ranges from 4 to 20 inches. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral throughout. In some areas, pebble to cobble-size limestone fragments occurs throughout the solum.
The Oa horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1. It is an organic mat where roots and leaf litter have accumulated. The thickness of the 0a horizon is less than 1/2 the total soil thickness. Texture is muck or peat.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 3 or less. When mixed to a depth of 7 inches, or to the lithic contact, the soil is finer than loamy fine sand, and meets mollic color and chemical criteria. Texture is loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam.
The C horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 6. Texture is fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
The R horizon is composed of hard limestone bedrock with a smooth to irregular surface. Solution holes extending below a depth of 20 inches and areas of rock outcrop are present in many pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Demory soils are on coastal lowlands of peninsular Florida and are commonly in areas adjacent to or surrounded by tidal marshes. Slopes are less than 2 percent. They formed in thin layers of loamy marine sediments over limestone. The climate is humid subtropical. The average annual temperature ranges from 70 to 74 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bluff,
Cracker, and
Hallandale series. The very poorly drained Bluff soils are on similar to lower positions and are very deep. The very poorly drained Cracker soils are in adjacent lower tidal marshes and have more clay in the control section. The poorly and very poorly drained Hallandale soils are on similar positions, are sandy throughout, and do not have a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Demory soils are in natural vegetation, but some areas have been planted to pine. The natural vegetation is dominated by laurel oak, water oak, southern redcedar, sweetgum, slash pine, loblolly pine, blackgum, basswood and red maple in the overstory. The understory vegetation consists of cabbage palm, yaupon, poison ivy, longleaf uniola, greenbriar, false indigo, cutgrass, low panicums, Saint Augustine grass, bluestems, dropseed, sawgrass, gulf muhly and a variety of other sedges and annual forbs in the understory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Peninsular Florida. The series is of small known extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dade County, Florida, 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches, when mixed to a depth of 7 inches (Oa and A horizons).
Lithic contact: Limestone bedrock at 9 inches (R horizon).
The water table is at or near the soil surface for 2 to 6 months during most years and is within solution holes and cavities in the bedrock during the drier months. Areas immediately adjacent to or surrounded by tidal marshes are subject to tidal overwash during tropical storms. Inland areas are subject to flooding from adjacent creeks and braided streams.
Demory soils typically do not key out as Aquolls, however, soil wetness and high water tables indicate that these soils are too wet to be classified as Udolls.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.