40 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JANUARY 
sams.” The results of studies upon three of these summits in 
western North Carolina may be briefly summarized as follows, 
the localities being Richland Balsam, Plott Balsam, and the Black 
Mountains (Mount Mitchell). 
The coniferous forest covers the mountain slopes from about 
1600 m. to the summits, the highest of which is about 2010 m. 
Abies Fraseri is on the whole the most abundant species except 
along the lower edge of the coniferous region, where Picea rubra 
is of somewhat greater importance. Betula lutea is scattered more 
or less thickly throughout and grows to a great size, specimens 
having been noted that were 1.3m. in diameter. As on Isle 
Royale, birch and spruce are sparsely represented in the young 
growth, which is predominantly balsam. The shrubby vegetation 
consists almost entirely of Rhododendron catawbiense Michx., whic 
is very abundant. It is interesting to note that the balsam seed- 
lings are practically absent under the shade of the rhododendrons, 
and scarce in shade in general, but are exceedingly abundant in 
partial openings. The ground is covered by a luxuriant moss 
carpet, almost identical in composition with that of the Isle Royale 
forest, and the herbaceous growth includes most of the character- 
istic group of northern forest plants which has been listed (p. 16). 
The similarity between Isle Royale and the North Carolina 
“Balsams” is thus a striking one. In the latter region there is 
even an ecological equivalent to the ground hemlock. Rhododen- 
dron catawbiense, in spite of its very different habit, is equally 
effective in densely occupying and shading the ground and thus 
in temporarily preventing reproduction of the forest trees over wide 
areas. I believe that the conclusions which have been reached 
concerning the Isle Royale forest will also hold, with minor modi- 
fications, for the forests of the North Carolina summits. The 
conifer-birch forest of the mountains is to be regarded as the climax 
type of its own limited area (not including, of course, the lower 
slopes dominated by deciduous trees), and at the same time as an 
extension or outlier of the northeastern climax forest. 
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