Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

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Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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  • wcu_great_smoky_mtns-2776.jpg
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  • PLANTS OF THE GREAT SMOKIES A leading authority on national parks has stated that the flora of the Great Smoky Mountains forms their outstanding attraction. It is pointed out that, while in all Europe there are only 85 species of native trees, in the Great Smoky Mountains 152 species have already been listed, without taking into consideration the hundreds of flowers, shrubs and arborescent shrubs which are to be found there. According to national park authorities, the educational program will stress the flora of the park since there is nothing like it elsewhere. There are four distinct floral features which make the Ureat Smokies unique in Eastern America. These are: First, the great number of species crowded together in a few square miles; second, the heath "balds", those vast areas known as slicks on the north side of Briar Knob, Thunderhead, Miry Kidge and other localities, where there are hundreds, thousands of acres of treeless slopes so densely covered with shrubbery of eight to 12 feet in height as to be absolutely impenetrable except by bear-trails; third, the grassy "balds'', those natural open meadows, carpeted with soft, yellow-green grass, which are scattered over the ridges and peaks over 5,000 feet in altitude; and, fourth, the great fields of sand myrtle found on Mt. LeConte and at other scattered spots. Tins Great Smoky area, well named by Horace Kephart the "last of the Eastern Wilderness", has been described, by I rofessor B. W. Wells, botanist, as the richest botanical collecting ground in America. "Students of plant geography," he said, "have always recognized that the Southern Appalachians constitute one of the outstanding vegetational centers of America. Here, under conditions of high rainfall, good drainage and long growing season. Nature has produced a flora remarkable alike for luxuriance, size of individual plants and number of species present. ... No richer botanical collecting ground exists in America than that of the Smokies " 88
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).