The Vegetation and Flora of Chilhowee Mountain
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-1966 The Vegetation and Flora of Chilhowee Mountain Roy Dale Thomas University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Botany Commons Recommended Citation Thomas, Roy Dale, "The Vegetation and Flora of Chilhowee Mountain. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1966. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/1615 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Roy Dale Thomas entitled "The Vegetation and Flora of Chilhowee Mountain." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Botany. A. J. Sharp, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Fred H. Norris, Edward E. C. Clebsch, Walter Herndon, Arthur C. Cole Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) August 5, 1966 To the Graduate Council: I am submit ting a di ssertation written by Roy Dale Thomas entitled "The Vegetation and Flora of Chilhowee Mountain." I recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy , with a major in Bo tany . fessor We have read thi s dissertation and recommend its acceptance: '� � ·, . QA <1-1l ) §/(o' ;.. /Lc_...J v Accepted for the Council : THE VEGETATION AND FLORA OF CHILHOWEE MOUNTAIN A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Council of The University of Tennessee In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Roy Dale Thomas August 1966 AC KNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wi she s to express grateful appreciation to Dr. A. J. Sharp for originally suggesting the problem and for serving as major professor; to Dr. Edward E. C. Clebsch for directing the work on vegetation and for reading the manuscript and making helpful suggestions ; to Dr. Fred H. Norris and Dr. Wal ter R. Herndon, Department of Botany , and Dr. James T. Tanner and Dr . Arthur C. Cole, Department of Zo ology, all of The University of Tennessee, for serving as committee members and for their valuable suggestions and critical reading of the manuscript. The author is al so grat eful to the National Park Service for permission to collect plants on Foothills Parkway property ; to Charles Powers, formerly of the Soil Conserva tion Service, for hi s help in studying the soils; to Robert B. Neuman of U. S. Geological Survey for hi s sugges tions reg arding the geology of the area; to The University of Tennessee Computing Center for statistical computations; and to Dr. Joe A. Chapman, Carson-N ewman College , for suggestions on sampling technique and for constant encouragement in the study. Sinc ere apprec i ation is extended to tho se who helped in collection and identification of specimens, especially to ii iii Professor J. K. Underwo od for checking identifications and supplying information on dis tribution of grasses, sedges, and rushes; to Ken E. Rogers for identification of grasses, sedges, and rushe s; to Gary Morton for identification of Solidago ; and to the author's father, James E. Thomas, fo� hi s constant help in finding locations and plants on the mountain. The author wi shes to give special thank s to hi s family; to hi s wife, Barbara, for help in recording data, for her encouragement, and for typing the final drafts of the dissertation; and to hi s son, Steven, for patient endurance of hi s father's ab sence. The author gratefully acknowledges hi s indeb tedness to Dr. Wal ter R. Herndon, Dr. Raymond W. Holton, and other mem� bers of the Department of Botany for a teaching assis tant ship. The author al so thank s Mrs. Marilyn Goodenough and Mrs. Georgia Troglen for the typing and the duplicating of the dissertation. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION . 1 II. LOCATION AND AREA . • . 3 III . HISTORY AND LAND USE . 9 IV . CLIMATE . 16 v. GEOLOGY OF CHILHOWEE MOUNTAIN 19 Geological History . • 19 The Geological Rel ationship of Chilhowee Mountain and the Smokies . 23 Cochran Formation 39 Nichols Shale . 41 Nebo Quartzite . 42 Murray Shale . 43 Hesse Quartzite . 44 Helenmode Formation 45 Shady Dolomite . 46 Rome Formation . 48 Chilhowee Mountain: Origin and Relat ionship s . 49 VI . THE SOILS OF CHILHOWEE MOUNTAIN 52 Intro duc tion ..•• 52 Soils of the Uplands . 54 Soils of Terrace Lands . 59 iv v CHAPTER PAGE Soils of Colluvial Lands •. 60 Soils of the Bot toml ands . 66 . Discussion . '� . 67 VII. THE VEGETATION OF CHILHOWEE MOUNTAIN . 73 Methods of Study 73 Vegetation Types . 77 Mixed Oak Cover Type • 83 Oak-Pine Cover Type 87 Second Growth Pine, South Slope, Cover Type . • o • • • • • • • • • • 89 Second Growth Yellow Poplar Cover Type • 92 Scrub Oak Cover Type . 93 Oak-Hickory Cover Type . • 96 Virginia Pine-Pitch Pine , Selec tively Cut, Cover Type . • . • . • . • 98 Lowl and Coves Cover Type . • 101 Red Oak Cover Typ e . • 103 Mixed Oak Flats Cover Type .. 104 Hemlock-White Pine Cover Type 106 Pitch Pine- Scarlet Oak Scrub Cover Type . 108 Shortleaf Pine Cover Type ••110 Second Growth Pine, North Slope, Cover Typ e . · · · · · · • 111 Table Mountain Pine Cover Type . t 113 vi CHAPTER PAGE VIII. FLORA AND FLORISTIC RELATIONSHIPS OF CHILHOWEE MOUNTAIN • • . • . 116 Method of Study 116 The Relationships of the Flora of Chi lhowee Mountain to the Floras of the Smokies, the Cumb erl ands , and English Mountain 116 The Distribution of the Grasses, Sedges, and Rushe s of Chilhowee Mountain 120 Noteworthy Collections . •• . 121 Distribution and Habitats of the Woody Plants of Chilho wee Mountain . 128 IX. DISCUSSION . 147 X. SUMMARY . • • 0 • • • • • • • • • 154 LITERATURE CITED . 157 APPENDIX A. Timbers of East Tenne ssee in 1893 172 APPENDIX B. Climatological Data for the Chilhowee Mountain Area Q 0 • • • • • • • 175 APPENDIX C. Geology and Soils of Chilhowee Mountain. • 181 APPENDIX D. Distribution of the Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes on Chilhowee Mountain • . • 189 APPEND IX E. Summary Tables for Trees, Shrub s, Seed- ling s and Herb s in Each Cover Type 197 APPENDIX F. Vascular Plant s of Chilhowee Mountain and References Used for Their Identifica- tion . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 304 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I. Timbers of East Tennessee in 1893 . 173 II, Summary of the Climate of the Chilhowee Mountain Area . 176 III. Temperature Dat a for Knoxville, Tennessee (1878-1963) . 177 IV . Soil Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit am a 5 Per Cent Slope in Blount County in 1962 . ... 178 v. Precipit ation in the Tenne ssee River Basin in Inche s . 179 VI . Precipit ation in the Chilhowee Mountain Area; Monthly Means in Inche s . • 180 VII. Rock Format ions Expo sed in the Chilhowee Mountain Area . Q . 182 VIII . Clas sification of Soil Series into Higher Categories and Their Relief , Parent Material , and Degree of Horizon Differentiation . 185 IX . Dis tribution of the Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes of Chilhowee Mountain . • . 190 x. Trees of the Mixed Oak Cover Type 198 vii viii TABLE PAGE XI . Shrub s of the Mixed Oak Gover Type ..•.•• 199 XII . Summary of Shrub s by Life Form in the Mixed Oak Gover Type • . • . • . • 201 XI II. Shrub s of the Mixed Oak Gover Type : Numb er of Individual s per Size Glass ..•.. • . 202 XIV . Seedlings of the Mixed Oak Gover Type 203 XV . Herb s of the Mixed Oak Gover Type . 204 - XV It Trees of the Oak-Pine Gover Type . 206 XVII . Shrub s of the Oak-P ine Gover Type 207 XV III. Summary of Shrub s by Life Form in the Oak- Pine Gover Type . 209 XIX. Shrub s of the Oak-Pine Gover Type : Numb er of Individual s per Size Glass ........• 210 XX . Seedling s of the Oak-Pine Gover Type • . • . 211 XXI . Herb s of the Oak-Pine Gover Type . 212 XX II . Trees of the Second Growth Pine, South Slope, Gover Type . • . • • . 214 XXIII. Shrub s of the Second Growth Pine, South Slope, Gover Type . 215 XXIV . Summary of Shrub s by Life Form in the Second Growth Pine , South Slope, Gover Type • • 216 XXV . Shrub s of the Second Growth Pine, South Slope, Gover Type: Numb er of Individual s per Size Glass . 217 ix TABLE PAGE XXVI . Seedlings of the Second Gro wth Pine , South Slope, Cover Type . 218 XXV I I. Herbs of th e Sec ond Growth Pine, South Slope, Cover Type •..........••219 XXVIII. Trees of th e Second Growth Yellow Poplar Cover Type . " . • 220 XXIXe Shrub s of the Second Growth Yellow Popl ar Cover Type . • 221 XXX . Summary of Shrub s by Life Form in the Second Growth Yellow Poplar Cover Type • • • • • • 222 XXXI . Shrub s of the Sec ond Growth Yellow Poplar Cover Type: Number of Individuals per Size Class . • . • . • 223 XXXII. Seedlings of th e Second Growth Yellow Poplar Cover Type . 224 XXXIII. Herbs of th e Second Growth Yellow Poplar Cover Type • 225 XXXIV. Trees of th e Scrub Oak Cover Type .•22 6 XXXV . Shrub s of th e Scrub Oak Cover Type . 227 XXXVI . Summary of Shrub s by Life Form in the Scrub Oak Cover Type . • . • . • • . • . • • • • • 228 XXXVII.