78 PLANT ]AVF. OF A I.. \ HAM A. 



is (lie most prttiniiH'iil . In tlir tu'i^inniii;^" of >iimiii('i'. when rovcrorl 

 with the profuse t-lustcis ol" its purple or lilac llowers, this slinih, 

 from ti to |(t feet in lieitiht. massed in (lens(> thickets aloni,'" the hanks 

 of Little KivtT. foi'nis one of the mo--l attra<ti\»' sights. 'I'he home of 

 this shrul) is ascrilx'd to tlie hiyhest crests of the southern chains of 

 the mountains fi-oiii western Vire^inia to I^)an Mountain, on the Ixtrder 

 of North ( arolma and Teimossee., at an altitude of tijKM) feet. It lias. 

 howcNcr. l)een found. l>y Mi". Small, at a nuich lower elevation on 

 Tal)lc Mountain. At its extreme southei'n limit in Alahama it isasso- 

 ciated with the, Az<il<(i (ii'hdri'Haiix and kiilin'm l(il!/'(il!<i. Of other 

 shrubs \'!h>irintiii r^/.s-.s7'//<^vVA.v. extendinoto the Canadian zone, is abund- 

 ant on the banks of this stream. V!hnr)iHin (h-ntntuiii. Ruhu.s cnxlciiii^ 

 and Cel(iMtruH scanden»^oi the same range of distribution, are frecpient 

 tinionji: the shrubs of the more exposed I'oeky heielits. \\'\\\\ these 

 AUeghenian shrubs occur a host of other species, which are at liome 

 on the southern extremity of the lower ranges within the Carolinian 

 area, and are more or less fre<iuent throuuhout our mountain I'euion. 

 For example: 



Butneria {CahjcantliVK) ferlili,s. Hyrhrnif/cd (irhotrxci'ii.'^ lonlalit. 



Ilex moiilirola. PliilndrlphuH hirmlii>i. 



Vaccinium melmLocorjtum. DierviUa rivularis. 

 Vaccinium pallidum. 



The Vacclniniii pnUhlinii is reported as scarce on some of the highest 

 summits of North Carolina (Buckley). Crataegus blltiuorcaiKi^ C. 

 amtromontana^ and C. mrgenti are new discoveries made on the decliv- 

 ities of the mountain h\ Mr. Beadle of the Biltmore Hei-])arium in 

 1899, which have also become known from western North Carolina, 

 eastern Tennessee, and northern Georgia. The prostrate stems of the 

 northern RuJms h/.sp!<h(x cover open, miry places. 



The large lichen, Uinh'dicar'ia pastulatd ijapidosa^ which covi'rs the 

 naked clitfs, forms an association strongly expressive of the AUeghen- 

 ian character of the flora of this locality. Tn the soil, rich in humus, 

 shaded bv the rocks, and on the shaded ledges lining the banks of 

 Little River, mesophile ferns are also abundant. At^plenhuib hradleyl^ 

 of vcrv local distribution in the C/umberland Mountains of Tennessee 

 and Kentucky, occurs here, together w-ith the more frequent — 



A8]>lniiniu ])arnthnn. Asplenium montanum. 



A.y>h'iiiHiii trichoiniinex. Asp/riiiain plniKttiJidinti. 



A.^jilniJuin pl'u-foeinhia. Dryopteris inar<jiii<ili.^. 

 Ijiclcvjiild ptiuHilobidd. 



The last three are xerophile species, occurring on somewhat exposed 

 rocks. Other herbaceous southern Appalachian types here found are: 



Galax aphylla. Viola blanda. 



TliaUdniia ckiraium. Viola roxtrata. 



Viola uiuUicaidvi. Ealoniu pennsi/lvanica. 



