LOCATION PUNTA FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Grossarenic
Alaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Punta fine sand in a wooded area (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark gray (l0YR 4/l) fine sand; weak fine granular; very friable; many fine to common medium roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
E1--4 to 11 inches; light brownish gray (l0YR 6/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; common fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 26 inches thick)
E2--11 to 57 inches; white (l0YR 8/l) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine and common medium roots; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (30 to 50 inches thick)
Bh--57 to 80 inches; black (N 2/0) fine sand; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Charlotte County, Florida; about 0.7 miles east of Florida State Road 775 in SE1/4SW1/4, Sec.l6, T. 4l S., R. 20 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 80 inches or more. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid in the A and E horizons, and from strongly acid to extremely acid in the Bh horizon. Texture is fine sand or sand to depths of 80 inches or more.
The A horizon has hue of l0YR, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 0 to 2; or it is neutral with value of 2 to 5.
The E horizon has hue of l0YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 2 or less. Few to common fine to coarse mottles of light gray, grayish brown, very pale brown, pale brown, or yellowish brown may occur in some pedons.
The Bh horizon has hue of l0YR, 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of l or 2; or it is neutral with value of 2. Sand grains in this horizon are well coated with organic matter. Less than half of this horizon in each pedon is weakly cemented. Fine to medium streaks of E horizon materials may occur in the upper part of this horizon in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family. Closely similar soils include Ankona, Immokalee, Nettles, Oldsmar, Salerno, and Waveland. Ankona and Waveland soils have sandy epipedons 30 to 50 inches thick, and more than half of the Bh horizon in each pedon is at least weakly cemented. Immokalee soils have sandy epipedons 30 to 50 inches thick. Nettles and Oldsmar soils have sandy epipedons 30 to 50 inches thick, and have argillic horizons below the spodic horizons. In addition, Nettles soils are at least weakly cemented in more than half of the Bh horizon. Salerno soils are at least weakly cemented in more than half of the Bh horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Punta soils are on broad flatwoods areas of peninsular Florida. They formed in thick deposits of sandy marine sediments. Annual precipitation is about 50 to 60 inches and is heaviest in the summer months. Mean annual air temperature ranges from about 70 to 74F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Immokalee series and Myakka and Smyrna series. All of these soils are on similar flatwoods positions. Immokalee soils have spodic horizons at depths of 30 to 50 inches. Myakka soils have spodic horizons at depths of 20 to 30 inches. Smyrna soils have spodic horizons at depths of less than 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Punta soils are poorly drained and have a zone of saturation at depths of about 6 to 18 for l to 3 months during the summer rainy season and at depths between 18 and 40 inches for most of the rest of the year. During extended dry periods the zone of saturation may be at depths below 40 inches. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is rapid in the A and E horizons and moderate in the Bh horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are in natural vegetation consisting of sawpalmetto, South Florida slash pine, pineland threeawn, waxmyrtle and a few shrub live oak. Some areas of this soil have been cleared for pasture and with proper water control some areas are used for growing citrus.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Peninsular Florida. The series is of moderate known extent.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Charlotte County, Florida; l982.
REMARKS: This revision changes the series classification to recognize the 1992 amendments to Soil Taxonomy that introduces changes in classification of Spodosols.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - zone from the surface to a depth of 57 inches (A, E1, E2).
Albic horizon - zone from 4 to 57 inches (E1, E2).
Spodic horizon - zone from 57 to 80 inches (Bh).
Aquic condition - endosaturation - all layers below about 6 inches.
DATA: Soil Characterization Lab., IFAS, UOF
S8-6-(1-5)