• This community occurs in the mountains of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, on ridges, and steep, rocky slopes at intermediate elevations (4,000-5,000 feet).
  • Windfall, landslides, and small, localized, lightning-caused fires are important in the establishment and maintenance of these shrublands.
  • This community can result from secondary succession after fire or logging or can occur as a topo-edaphic climax on steep or exposed sites.
  • It is a mostly evergreen shrubland, although deciduous shrubs may be present and even locally dominant.
  • Shrubs form a dense, sometimes impenetrable thicket, 1-4 m tall.
    
    
• The most typical shrub dominants are Kalmia latifolia and Rhododendron catawbiense, although Gaylussacia baccata, Leiophyllum buxifolium, Pieris floribunda, Rhododendron carolinianum, Rhododendron maximum, and Vaccinium corymbosum are dominant or have high coverage in some occurrences.
  • Other shrubs include Photinia melanocarpa, Clethra acuminata, Ilex montana, Vaccinium stamineum, Leucothoe recurva, and Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides.
    
    
• Small openings in the shrub canopy are dominated by lichens, bare rock or herbs, with some occurrences having up to 60% exposed rock.
  • Herb cover beneath the shrub canopy is absent or very sparse (<5%) and may include Galax urceolata, Gaultheria procumbens, Goodyera pubescens, Melampyrum lineare, Mitchella repens, and Pteridium aquilinum.
  • Smilax rotundifolia is a common vine.
    
    
• Small, scattered trees are possible (Acer rubrum, Amelanchier laevis, Betula alleghaniensis, Ilex montana, Magnolia fraseri, Nyssa sylvatica, Oxydendrum arboreum, Prunus pensylvanica, Quercus rubra) and may be more typical of shrublands resulting from intense fires on less exposed sites.

• This community is a mostly evergreen shrubland, although deciduous shrubs may be present and even locally dominant.
  • Shrubs form a dense, sometimes impenetrable thicket, 1-4 m tall.
    
    
• The most typical shrub dominants are Kalmia latifolia and Rhododendron catawbiense, although Gaylussacia baccata, Leiophyllum buxifolium, Pieris floribunda, Rhododendron carolinianum, Rhododendron maximum, and Vaccinium corymbosum are dominant or have high coverage in some occurrences.
  • Other shrubs include Photinia melanocarpa, Clethra acuminata, Vaccinium stamineum, and Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides.
    
    
• Small openings in the shrub canopy are dominated by rock or herbs, with some occurrences having up to 60% exposed rock.
  • However, herb cover beneath the shrub canopy is absent or very sparse (< 5%) and may include Galax urceolata, Gaultheria procumbens, Goodyera pubescens, Melampyrum lineare, Mitchella repens, and Pteridium aquilinum.
  • Smilax rotundifolia is a common vine.
    
    
• Small, scattered trees are possible (Acer rubrum, Amelanchier laevis, Betula alleghaniensis, Ilex montana, Magnolia fraseri, Nyssa sylvatica, Oxydendrum arboreum, Picea rubens, and Prunus pensylvanica) and may be more typical of shrublands resulting from intense fires on less exposed sites.

• This community is found in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
  • Examples in the Cumberlands of Kentucky are rare and of limited extent.

• This community was sampled on the Mount Le Conte quadrangle and not on the Cades Cove quadrangle, although it is possible there.
  • This community is uncommon in the landscape but possible in other areas of the park.
    
    
• On the Mount Le Conte quadrangle it was sampled on Brushy Mountain, ridges along the Alum Cave Trail south of Mount Le Conte (4,600 and 4,900 feet), and in the southwestern portion of the quadrangle on the western ridge of Balsam Point, the vicinity of Chimney Tops, and east of Bullhead.
  • It was also sampled on Spruce Mountain in 2002 and can be easily seen along sections of the Newfound Gap Road on both the Tennessee and North Carolina sides.

• Global Conservation Status Rank: G2G3 (Last reviewed: 02 15 1999).
  
  
• This is a locally common heath bald type in parts of the Southern Blue Ridge.
  • Some occurrences represent a topo-edaphic climax, while other areas require fire to maintain the physiognomy.
  • Fire-maintained occurrences are threatened by general fire prevention in the mountains.

Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.

Ambrose, J. 1990a. Georgia's natural communities--A preliminary list. Unpublished document. Georgia Natural Heritage Inventory. 5 pp.

CAP [Central Appalachian Forest Working Group]. 1998. Central Appalachian Working group discussions. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA.

NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.

Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. 2002. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Pyne, M. 1994. Tennessee natural communities. Unpublished document. Tennessee Department of Conservation, Ecology Service Division, Nashville. 7 pp.

Risk, P. L. 1993. High elevation heath communities in the Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Ph.D. dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Schafale, M. 1998b. Fourth approximation guide. High mountain communities. March 1998 draft. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.

Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.

Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.