30 



entirely absent. Chiefly it is a yellowish clay strewn with fine 

 sand and, where vegetation is persistent, the admixture of humus 

 produces a fairly fertile soil which is however, from the nature of 

 its composition, origin, and position, subjected to extremes of 

 moisture and dryness. Numerous tiny springs rise here and 

 there and, escaping down the smooth surfaces of the granite, 

 furnish periodical moisture for extensive lithophytic societies, 

 chiefly lichens. Most of the springs cease with periods of drought. 



Figure i. Lookingglass Mountain from the northeast. 



2. Vegetation 



The northern and western exposures of granite are in particular, 

 covered with a more or less dense growth of lichens. In crevices 

 and more secure places, mosses and Sclaginella occur ; the latter, 

 however, is much more abundant on the exposed rocks of Roan 

 and Carolina gneiss, which make up the adjacent Pisgah Ridge. 



The arborescent flora possesses many features of peculiar inter- 

 est. Deformities due to exposure to severe winds are abundant. 



