• Forests of lower or protected slopes and terraces with Tsuga canadensis occurring over a dense to patchy shrub stratum of Rhododendron maximum.
  • Other canopy species of minor importance may include Liriodendron tulipifera, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Pinus strobus, Betula lenta, Magnolia fraseri, Acer rubrum, and Fraxinus americana; these would total less than 25% of the canopy cover.
    
    
• In Kentucky, disturbed areas may have abundant Betula lenta and Betula alleghaniensis in the subcanopy.
  • Stands in the southern Cumberlands of Kentucky and Tennessee would lack Leucothoe fontanesiana; instead, Clethra acuminata is a characteristic shrub of these stands.
    
    
• In the Southern Blue Ridge, Leucothoe fontanesiana is often a shrub component, and sometimes occurs densely.
  • Other typical shrubs can include Ilex opaca, Clethra acuminata, and Kalmia latifolia.
    
    
• Herbs are sparse to moderate, depending on the shrub cover.
  • Typical herbs include Chimaphila maculata, Goodyera pubescens, Medeola virginiana, Hexastylis shuttleworthii, Mitchella repens, Polystichum acrostichoides, Viola blanda, and Galax urceolata.
    
• Bryophyte cover is often dense. In the southern Appalachians, this forest occurs at elevations greater than 1,800 feet.

• The canopy of this community is strongly dominated by Tsuga canadensis. Other species that have minor coverage in the canopy and subcanopy include Betula lenta, Magnolia fraseri, and Liriodendron tulipifera.
  
  
• The dominant shrubs are Rhododendron maximum and Leucothoe fontanesiana.
  • Other shrubs include Hamamelis virginiana, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, Clethra acuminata, and Oxydendrum arboreum.
    
    
• Herbs are sparse; typical species include Dryopteris intermedia, Goodyera pubescens, Medeola virginiana, Mitchella repens, Polystichum acrostichoides, and Thelypteris noveboracensis.

• This community is found in the Southern Appalachians, from North Carolina west into Kentucky.

• This community was sampled on the Cades Cove quadrangle.
  • It is unlikely to occur on the Mount Le Conte quadrangle but occurs elsewhere in the park.
    
    
• This community was sampled in two locations on the Cades Cove quadrangle; in the northwest along More Licker Branch and in the central portion of the quadrangle along Tipton's Sugar Cove Branch.

• Global Conservation Status Rank: G3G4 (Last reviewed: 04 30 1998).

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