Southern Appalachian Distriet. 483 
associated Ouercus alba, O. coccinea, O. prinus, Castanea dentata. The ridges 
and low hills are covered near the Peaks of Otter, Virginia, by Pinus inops, 
Castanea pumila, Quercus marylandica (= O. nigra), Oxydendrum arborcum, 
Tephrosia virginiana, Spiraeca Aruncus (= Aruncus silvester), Silene virginica, 
Oenothera glauca, Galax aphylla. 
The woodland in which Pinus Strobus is the dominant coniferous tree is 
not extensive, but lies in isolated small bodies along the crest, and southern 
and eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge, or on the low hills on the west. Ex- 
tensive forests containing this pine occur on the south fork of New River, in 
the upper valley of the Linville River, in the valley of the French Broad 
iver. This tree is associated with Ouercus alba, O. tinctoria (= O. velutina), 
O. rubra, O. coccinea, O. Prinus, Castanea dentata, when growing along the 
cerests or flanks of rolling hills, on course, often porous, gravelly loamy soils. 
Deciduous Forest Formation. The forests of the lower mountains lie 
between 1500 and 3000 feet (460°—gı5 m) elevation. They occupy the eastern 
and southern slopes of the Blue Ridge and its outlying spurs and to the west- 
ward of the Blue Ridge, they occupy the hill and lower mountain slopes up 
to about 3000 feet. The same species of oak, named as companions of P. 
Strobus and hickories (Carya tomentosa — Hicoria alba, C. amara = H. minima 
and C. alba = H. ovata), Castanea dentata, Cornus florida, are the chief broad- 
leaf trees. These form a story of varying density but never constituting over 
one-half of the trees. The area in which Pinus pungens and P. rigida are 
the important trees embraces the eastern and southern slopes of the Blue 
Ridge with the outlying spurs from Georgia to Virginia, associated with Pinus 
mitis, Quercus coccinea, O. Prinus and Castanea dentata. There is no under- 
wood. Z7suga caroliniana is confined to the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge, 
while Fuglans nigra occupies the deep narrow hollows which indent the 
eastern slopes and with it are associated Robdinia pseudacacia, Liriodendron 
tulipifera and QOuercus alba. 
The forests of the higher mountains embrace the woodland lying at 
an elevation above that of the forests of the lower hills and below 5000 feet. 
The lower limit of their distribution is about 3000 feet. The forests of the 
high mountains may be divided into (1) those lying on the crests, and on the 
slopes facing the south, and (2) those of the north slopes and hollows, and 
along the bottom lands. The soils of south hill-sides are drier and are thinner 
than those on slopes with a northerly aspect, and the amount of light and 
heat is greater than is secured on hillsides with equal, inclinations to the north 
and the trees are consequently of the light demanding kinds’).. The trees 
occurring on the slopes facing the north and in the hollows are: Tsuga 
canadensis, Fagus americana, Castanca dentata, Quercus rubra, O. alba, 
Rhododendron maximum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Fraxinus americana, Magno- 
1) PIncHOT, GIFFORD and ASHE, W. W.: Timber ne and Forests of North Carolina. North 
Carolina Geological Survey. Bulletin No. 6 (1897): 2 
3ı* 
