• This high-elevation shrubland occurs in the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, on steep ridges, rock outcroppings, and landslides at elevations over 5,500 feet, in the Spruce-Fir zone.
  • It has 25-100% shrub cover and may occur as a dense shrubland, 2-4 m tall, or as a shorter, more open shrubland with areas of exposed rock, scattered mats of prostrate vegetation, and isolated clumps of herbaceous species.
  • High solar irradiation and desiccating winds, in combination with the shallow, nutrient-poor soils, are key environmental factors influencing this community.
  • Locally, vegetation is influenced by seepage areas on steep cliffs and ledges.
  • It is known from areas of exposed slate on the steep ridges of Mount LeConte (Ramseur 1958).
    
    
• The most common shrubs are Rhododendron carolinianum, Rhododendron catawbiense, and Leiophyllum buxifolium, locally dominant in patches and forming a mosaic.
  • Shrubs are less than 1 m tall on the steepest, rockiest, most exposed sites, and taller on gentle, more protected sites with greater soil development.
  • Other associated shrubs with minor coverage may include Abies fraseri, Photinia pyrifolia, Photinia melanocarpa, Diervilla sessilifolia, Ilex montana, Menziesia pilosa, Pieris floribunda, Prunus pensylvanica, Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, and Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides.
    
    
• Under tall, dense shrubs there is little herb cover, but in more open shrublands, on steep cliffs with seepage, herbaceous species may grow in dense patches on ledges and crevices.
  • Herbaceous species such as Calamagrostis cainii, Carex misera, Geum radiatum, Saxifraga michauxii, Solidago glomerata, and Trichophorum caespitosum are associated with this community on the summits of Mount LeConte.
    
    
• Thick hummocks of lichens and mosses can occur on flatter sites, and scattered wind-sheared trees of Picea rubens or Abies fraseri are possible in some examples.

• This community has 25-100% shrub cover and may occur as a dense shrubland, 2-4 m tall, or as a shorter, more open shrubland with areas of exposed rock, scattered mats of prostrate vegetation, and isolated clumps of herbaceous species.
  
  
• Scattered wind-sheared trees of Picea rubens or Abies fraseri are possible in some examples.
  
  
• The most common shrubs are Rhododendron carolinianum, Rhododendron catawbiense, and Leiophyllum buxifolium, locally dominant in patches and forming a mosaic.
  • Shrubs are less than 1 m tall on the steepest, rockiest, most exposed sites, and taller on gentle, more protected sites with greater soil development.
  • Other associated shrubs with minor coverage may include Abies fraseri, Photinia pyrifolia, Photinia melanocarpa, Diervilla sessilifolia, Ilex montana, Menziesia pilosa, Pieris floribunda, Prunus pensylvanica, Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, and Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides.
    
    
• Under tall dense shrubs there is little herb cover, but in more open shrublands, on steep cliffs with seepage, herbaceous species may grow in dense patches on ledges and crevices.
  • Herbaceous species such as Calamagrostis cainii, Carex misera, Geum radiatum, Saxifraga michauxii, Solidago glomerata, Trichophorum caespitosum are associated with this community on the summits of Mount Le Conte.
    
    
• Thick hummocks of lichens and mosses can occur on flatter sites.

• This high-elevation shrubland occurs in the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee.

• This community was sampled from the highest elevations of the Mount Le Conte quadrangle and neighboring quadrangles.
  • It may occur in other high-elevation areas of the park.
    
    
• On the Mount Le Conte quadrangle this community was sampled from Rocky Spur north of Mount Le Conte; from Clifftop west of the Mount Le Conte summit; and from the Jumpoff, in the vicinity of Mount Kephart.
  • In addition, it was sampled from Charlie's Bunion off of the Appalachian Trail.

• Global Conservation Status Rank: G1 (Last reviewed: 02 16 1999).
  
  
• This community is limited in extent, occurring as scattered pockets in the southern Appalachian Mountains, possibly limited to the Great Smoky Mountains.
  • This fragile community is threatened by heavy recreational use.

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.

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.

Ramseur, G. S. 1958. The vascular flora of high mountain communities of the southern Appalachians. Ph.D. dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 106 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. 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.

Whittaker, R. H. 1979. Appalachian balds and other North American heathlands. Pages 427-439 in: R. L. Specht, editor. Ecosystems of the world. Series Publication 9A. Heathlands and related shrublands: Descriptive studies. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, New York.