LOCATION PERCHE MOEstablished Series
The Perche series consists of very deep, moderately well drained, moderately permeable soils formed in loamy alluvium on flood plains. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual temperature is 56 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation is 36 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Aquic Udifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Perche loam - on a gently undulating slope of less than 1 percent in an ungrazed field of mowed grasses and forbs. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; moderate medium granular structure; very friable; few coarse and medium roots; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 13 inches thick)
C1--4 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) stratified sandy loam, loamy sand, and sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure in the sandy loam strata, single grain in the sandy strata; very friable in the sandy loam strata, loose in the sandy strata; few coarse roots; few medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; few charcoal fragments; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
C2--15 to 28 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam; weak medium platy bedding planes; friable; few fine roots; common medium faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions and few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
C3--28 to 53 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, with thin very pale brown (10YR 7/4) sand strata; weak medium platy bedding planes; very friable; few very fine roots; common medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions and few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
C4--53 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few very fine roots; grayish brown areas are iron depletions; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Boone County, Missouri, on the Perche Creek flood plain several hundred feet north of Akeman Bridge Road, about 5 miles northwest of Columbia; 50 feet south and 50 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 16, T. 49 N., R. 13 W.; Sturgeon SW quadrangle; lat. 39 degrees 2 minutes 32 seconds N. and long. 92 degrees 23 minutes 43 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Clay content of the 10 to 40 inch particle-size control section averages 5 to 18 percent, although individual subhorizons can be lower or higher. Reaction is slightly acid to slightly alkaline throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 or 3.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is stratified loam, silt loam, loamy sand, sand, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam. Some pedons have a gleyed horizon below 20 inches and some pedons have buried surface layers. Cg horizons, where present, have chroma of 2 only.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. Beckville soils are in a related family and have free calcium carbonates within a depth of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Perche soils are on nearly level and gently undulating channel, point bar, natural levee and splay deposits of low flood plains. They have formed in recent, loamy alluvium. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual temperature ranges from 54 to 57 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 32 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Haymond, Twomile, Westerville and Wilbur series. All of these soils have less than 15 percent sand in the particle-size control section. In addition, Haymond soils are well drained and have cambic horizons, Twomile soils are poorly drained and have argillic horizons, and Westerville soils are somewhat poorly drained and have cambic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is moderate and surface runoff potential is low. in undrained areas the upper depth of an apparent water table is 2 to 3.5 feet during December to May in most years. Occasional flooding occurs in the spring.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in bottomland hardwood forest, pasture or row crops.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Missouri. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Boone County, Missouri, 1998. Source of the name is Perche (pronounced Perch - ie) Creek, a major drainageway in Boone County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this series are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 4 inches (Ap horizon); Fluvent feature - an irregular decrease in organic carbon. Aquic feature - low chroma mottles above 16 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Typifying pedon was analyzed by the University of Missouri Soil Characterization Lab as number M9101939. Characterization data on four other pedons from Boone County are also available.