The Southern Appalachians: An Azalea Paradise By Charles Andrews—Cumming,

orth America claims the majority of the world's portions. The group moves lodging from place to place to Ndeciduous azaleas with a current count of 17 . be near the next days' excursions (e.g., Mountain City, TN; Asia and Europe have only a handful combined. None are Franklin, NC; Robbinsville, NC). Individuals make their in the Southern Hemisphere. While one of the American own reservations. Excursions vary from mostly driving with natives is a western species, one is a cool-climate northeast stops along the roadway (e.g., ), to short species, and some are Coastal Plain species, the epicenter of walks (e.g., ), to long hikes (e.g., ). our native azaleas resides in the Southern Appalachians and The Azalea Chapter ARS takes many field trips every foothills from to . Here resides the highly year. Most are one-day affairs in Georgia, Alabama, North praised R. calendulaceum (flame azalea), called by William Carolina, and . A favorite is Mt. Cheaha in Bartram, "this most celebrated species of Azalea ... certainly Alabama. Together, all these trips from Virginia to Alabama the most gay and brilliant yet known." Frederick allow you to see many of our native species in the wild and Pursh said, "It is, without exception, the handsomest shrub see various other native and outstanding natural sights. in north America." Joining it in the mountains and foothills Whether you join these fun-loving groups or head out are the red to R. cumberlandense (Cumberland on your own, you should see our Southern Appalachian azalea), the white R. arborescens (sweet azalea) and R. azaleas in their native locations. Often Southern Appalachian viscosum (swamp azalea), and four early blooming pinks: R. azaleas are found on balds. Southern Appalachian balds are vaseyi (pinkshell azalea, R. canescens (Piedmont azalea), R. on the tops of mountain ridges and crests below the timber periclymenoides (pinxterbloom azalea) and R. prinophyllum line; but where you would normally expect forest growth, (roseshell azalea). the bald is mostly covered in native grasses and . At For this reason, George McLellan and Don Hyatt, 4,000 to 6,000 feet, these open balds are ideal for some of members of both the Azalea Society of America and the our native azaleas. The origin of these balds is uncertain, American Society (ARS) have been making though grazing from deer and elk and later grazing animals annual extended spring trips to Virginia, , of settlers kept the balds open. With government acquisition , and Georgia to see our magnificent azaleas of most of the balds, little grazing has taken place, and the and other flora of this area. George has been going on this balds have slowly become overgrown and reduced in size. Southern Appalachian pilgrimage since the 1990s. Don Only recently has the US Forest Service recognized the has gone almost as long. Providing an itinerary and list of importance of keeping the balds open. motels, George and Don graciously invite others to join Presented here are some of the best locations to see them. Most participants are members of ASA and/or ARS. I Southern Appalachian native azaleas, listed roughly have been going for several years. [Photos 1 and 2] geographically northeast to southwest (See map on page The entire trip usually extends for a week to 10 days 20). Bloom times vary depending on the species or variety. in the middle of June, though one can pick and choose Even within a species, the peak bloom will vary from

• Photo 1-2017 Field Trip Group (I to r): Bud Gressman, Joe Nicholson, Jim Dezzutti, George McLellan, Rick Bauer, Jan Nicholson, Karel Bemady, Don Hyatt, Dale Berrong.

4 • The Azalean / Spring 2018 season to season. Table 1 (see page 9) gives locations, azalea species, and approximate bloom times. Table 2 (see page 10) provides information on site elevations. In addition to the plants, the scenery and vistas are spectacular. Sites mentioned are only some of many places to see our magnificent native azaleas. Grayson Highlands The Grayson Highlands are near Mt. Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, Virginia's highest peaks. The (AT) passes through Grayson Highlands State Park, and in addition to the AT many trails wander A Photo 2—Roan Mt. azaleas and J Jackson and Dale Berrong (r ). throughout the park. Most visitors go to ♦ Photo 3—Don Hyatt photographing a yellow azalea see the famous wild ponies, but we go in Grayson Highlands State Park. to see flame azaleas, latifolia (mountain laurel), and R. catawbiense (Catawba rhododendron). Mid-June is a good time. [Photo 3] Elk Knob Just inside North Carolina from Tennessee northwest of Boone is a mountain I was not familiar with until 2017. Elk Knob is now in a state park with a pleasant 1.9-mile trail to the 5,520-ft peak. Elk Knob is on a road called Meat Camp Road. I am sure there is a story about this somewhere. The lower part goes through a shady grassy understory of Carex pensylvanica ( sedge). We saw among other plants Hydrangea arborescens ♦ Photo 4—View looking west toward Jane Bald with Roan Knob beyond. (smooth hydrangea), Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit), Phlox, superbum (Turk's cap lily, not yet in bloom), Lilium grayi (a Gray's lily, in full bloom), umbellulata (speckled wood lily), and an attractive of Plantanthera psycodes (purple fringed orchid). One surprise was the fact that Maianthemum racemosum (Solomon's plume) was everywhere, but we did not see a single plant of Polygonatum bWorum (Solomon's seal). Usually we see both, often side by side. Joe Nicholson pointed out to me Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch) and Betula lenta (black or sweet birch).

' The twigs of the black birch smell and taste strongly like wintergreen. Yellow T ballet birch does too but not so strongly. IlaI Some folks make wintergreen extract

room from the twigs of these trees.

The Azalean / Spring 2018 • 5 fraseri [Photo 4] with theirburgundyleaves, Houstonia caerulea .Yougettoaddthatthewonderfulcolorsof after theclimbfromJaneGap,andthatiswherewecontinue azaleas directlyinfrontofyou. an understoryforest,apagodadogwoodwillsendoutswirl also stuntedfromtheharshconditionsofmountaintop.In this isontheAppalachianTrail,butATturnstoleft then beginstheclimbtowardGrassyRidgeBald.Mostof most magnificentdisplayofCatawbarhododendroninthe the topaloneisworthtrip:mountainsindistanceand the woods.Nearsummitisasemi-doublewheresome the sunlightreallybeginstocomein.Manyareofsame more commonfloweringdogwood.Thisparticularplantis much ofthetime. Carolina lineat5,512feetandtraversesoverRoundBald, horizontal limbssweepingdownlikeapagodaroof. upright, flat-topcymeblossomsareverydifferentfromour only inbud.Afewoftheotherplantsfoundalongway of thestamenshaveturnedintopartialpetals.Theviewat of fourfivebrancheseveryfeetorsoupthetrunk. straight outtotheendofGrassyRidgeforincredible golden toorangeshades,withoneortwoyellowsbelowin gnarled andstunted.Theweatherupatthetopmustberough 6 •The Azalean/ down toEngineGap,upJaneBald,intoand dogwood), infullbloomaswereachedtheendofourclimb. include lily joinsthefloralchorus.Someyearswesee flame azaleas.Insomeyears,thebloomofrareGray's The treecanbecome30feettallandwide,withthetiered The leaveslookverymuchlikedogwood,butthefragrant, Roan Highlands Near thetopisathickgroveof Most ofthe Almost atthetopisa Roan isalwaysaspecialtreat.Manyhavesaiditthe The trailbeginsatCarversGapontheTennessee-North ♦ Photo 5—R. (Fraser fir),and Vaccinium, R. calendulaceum calendulaceum Spring 2018 which issaidtobespectacularinthefall (bluets), Kalmia buxifolia Veratrum viride Aronia Cornus alternifolia are atornearthetopwhere in theRoanHighlands sp. (chokeberry), (false hellebore), (hawthorn), all (sandmyrtle). Lilium grayi (pagoda Abies

Photo Charles Andrews protected pockets.Flowercolorsrangefromstrongyellow plains, andsoutheasternBlueRidgeMountains.Itwasonce populations: sandbarrensinNewJersey,Carolinacoastal walking. Onaclearday,youfeelarewalkingonthetop Because oftheirexposedstate,theyleadaroughlifeand Almost allareonthesouthsideoftrail,whichruns you cantakethetrailtoMt.Pisgah.Botanizing,will are lowtomediuminhabit,unlesstheygrowingmore the GrassyRidgeTrailgoesthroughatunnelofCatawba to red. the mountainvarietyis. Ridge. WhenyouseeGrassyRidgeforthefirsttime highest pointonGrassyRidgeis6,189feet.Whilethetrail Blue RidgeParkway of theworld.Theviewsareoutstanding. on theBlueRidgeParkwayisbetweenAsheville(NCHwy sightings beginnearMt.Pisgah. sandmyrtle. IhaveseenthisplanthereandontheTanawha Gap totheendofGrassyRidgeisabout3.2miles.The runs alongtherightsideofridge,and rhododendron. TowardtheendofGrassyRidge,trail ridge, perhapsbecauseoftheprevailingwindsandweather. rock gardenplant,thoughIdonotknowhowheattolerant down towardEngineGap.MorearearoundJane displays of called 191) andBeechGap(NCHwy215).Mostoftheazalea know immediatelywhyitiscalledaheathbald.Atonespot is growingontherocks.Thislow-growingplantwithtiny is upanddownsteepinafewplaces,itmostlyeasy leaves andflowershasbeenfoundonlyinthreedisjunct found onRoan.[Photo5] looks nothinglikemountainlaurel.Thecommonnameis Thus, theyarenotfarfromtheparkingareaatCarversGap. Trail nearGrandfatherMountain.Itwouldseemtobeagreat ♦ Most oftheazaleasareonbacksideRoundBald From thefarcornerofBuckSpringGapparkingarea, One ofthebestsectionsforazaleasandtheircompanions The bestviewsof Photo 6—R. Leiophyllum buxifolium R. calendulaceum R. catawbiense. viscosum R. var. is theonlynativeazaleaspecies The entirejourneyfromCarvers catawbiense montanum but wasmovedto at FryingpanGap. are fromGrassy Kalmia buxifolia Kalmia. It noio unarms Inurews bell-shaped flowersarequitedifferent. (Bowman's root),and plant atPisgah.Herethenewgrowthwashairy,typicalof Yet wesawflowerswithredpistilsonatallbutstoloniferous Here youcanseethehighlystoloniferous yet inbloommid-June2017. a thickgroundcover.Thewinterbudsareverypubescent, azalea), that ishighlystoloniferous.Itcoversperhaps100sq.ft,with taking placebetween trying tosurvivethechestnutblight.Alsoontrailis trail isafairlylargeAmericanchestnutwithblossoms,still transferred intothe the naturalvariationofspecies.While montanum. var. var. neither istypical unlike thesmoothbudsoftypical usually wellunder5feet,andhighlystoloniferous,oftenlike R. calendulaceum, of theparkinglottosouthedgeridge.Along scores oftrunkscomingfromtheground.Thisplantwasnot somewhat similartoournativeazaleas,buttheverysmall, species, eveneliminatingpreviouslyidentifiedvarieties Gap isalarge,completelysmooth-stemmed rocky, oftendry,hillsidesinthemountains.Itislowgrowing, called withsomejustificationtheswampazalea,notmuch cap lily),and chestnut), themontanumvarietyof viscosum. is swampyabout like late-blooming azaleasshouldbecombinedintoasingle fmd Corylus americana ♦ Minniebush usedtobe At thePisgahInn,ashorttrailleadsfromeastend Typical In 1993Dr.KathleenKrondecidedmanyformsofwhite montanum R. viscosum R. minus montanum Photo R. pilosum A milefartherdowntheparkwayatFryingpan 7—R. vaseyiat viscosum acuminata var. is adistinctiveplant.[Photo6] R. arborescens, viscosum and theapparentnaturalhybridization var. struggling carolinianum (American hazelnut), (minniebush), can bebutisnotusuallystoloniferous; Rhododendron R. arborescens montanum, Smilax herbacea the Devil'sCourthouseTunnel. var. Menziesia pilosa Castanea dentata montanum, the sweetorsmoothazalea. (mountain pepperbush). (Carolina rhododendron), Lilium superbum declaring thempartof viscosum. R.viscosum genus. Theleavesare R. viscosum and Gillenia trifoliata (carrion flower). R. viscosum which thriveson R. viscosum R. arborescens before itwas R. viscosum (American (swamp (turk's var. is Photo Charles Andrews Mt. Toxaway below thegapheadingsouthonNC215isawidepull- (dwarf ), worth frequentstops,and were Solomon'sseal,plume,carrionflower, where white-floweredCatawbarhododendrongrow.These Hypericum buckleyi A running are also a trailleadsfromthegapbacktoPisgah.Alongthis R. minus tower atthetopofFryingpanMountain.Nexttoroad, to viewplants,suchasalongBlackBalsamKnobRoad, mowed annuallysomanyoftheplantsareseverelypruned. mountain laurel,smoothhydrangea,andmanyothers.Except the baseofmoist,seepingrockwallare paradise.Awindingblacktoproadgoesupto maximum hillside carvedoutbytheconstructionofparkway.One uncommon plantsof We foundabloomingmountainlaurelonlyinchestall. near therockwallanddrainageatitsbase,areais of thebestspotsisjusteasttunnel.Earlytomid-May over 15feetwithrunners)wasnotyetinbloom,butwe occasional off spotontherightwithahighrockface.Growingalong saw plentyof described aboveareonlyafew. viscosum is theapproximatetimeof large In thissectionoftheBlueRidgeParkwayvistasare Turk's caplily,speckledwoodminniebush, arborescens. Beyond GraveyardFieldsisDevil'sCourthouseTunnel. At BeechGap,NCHwy215crossestheparkway.Just At FryingpanGapagatedforestroadgoestothefire Clarence ToweintroducedmetoMt.Toxaway,an There aremanyotherspotsalongtheBlueRidgeParkway calendulaceum. ♦ floribunda var. Photo 8—Awhite var. (rosebay rhododendron), R. arborescens arborescens Clematis viorna carolinianum. viscosum montanum (Buckley's St.John'swort),bluets,and Many ofthe Ilex longipes var. (looks like R. vaseyi and apparenthybridsofthetwo. (mountain fetterbush),therare [Photo 7] R. vaseyi was everywhere,foundwith montanum The Azalean /Spring 2018•7 vaseyi onMt. (leather flower),andseveral bloom here.Inthevicinity viscosum arborescens Lyonia grows ontherocky (Georgia holly). in bloomandavery Toxaway. (staggerbush), have traitsof R. vaseyi, but spread Iris verna R.

rnoto unanes Anarews but everywhereweturnedtherewereminusblossoms. power companyhadbeensprayingtheareaunderlines wood lily,and with herbicidesandhadkilledmanyoftheazaleasalong were inbloom.OnesadaspectaboutMt.Toxawayisthe Bald isasmallbaldwithprimarily Dale Berrongthe are plantslike along theroadandpathstoseeplants.[Photo8] and the R. arborescens,viscosum R. maximum, triploids haveyettobefound.Withoneexception,many massive hybridswarm: that demandsseveraltripseachyear:earlyMaytosee the roadway.Thesepoisonedplantswereonesflourishing the communicationtowerson4,777-ftpeak.Themain 441 atNewfoundGap.FromtheClingman'sDomeparking calendulaceum cassinoides catawbiense. up asteephill.AndrewsBaldisnice1.9-milehikefirst saw somehappy golden yellowtodeeporangered.Onthebaldandtrail roadside "weeds"are removed severalveryold downhill andthenup.Thetrailhasbeenimproved.Andrews in bloom,mid-Junefor in thesunlight.Attop,constructionforanewtowerhas 8 •The Azalean/ lot, Clingman'sDomeisa0.5milewalkonasphalt,all large leavesinfullflower.Onour2017trip,Ikepttelling Shows whatIknow.Lowerdownsomefew arborescens arborescens Gregory Bald ♦ Andrews BaldandClingman'sDomeareoffU.S.Hwy Gregory Bald(4,948ft)isjustifiablyfamousforits Photo 9—Trekkers(Itor)RalfBauer,GeorgeMcLellan,andRon arborescens (witherod viburnum),mountainlaurel,speckled and and The flameazaleasrangeincolorformanice and Sorbus americana (tetraploid) wassaidtobeinthemix,but viscosum R. vaseyi. Galax urceolata Spring 2018 R. minus viscosum Hooper onGregoryBald. x R. minus viscosum calendulaceum, calendulaceum. R. cumberlandense var. Near thetop, should havealreadybloomed, (all diploids).Atonetime montanum. var. (trailing arbutus). hybrids areallpresent.We (Piedmont rhododendron), (mountain ash), (wand flower)withvery R. calendulaceum montanum, R.pilosum, R. calendulaceum, Near thetopwalk This isalocation a littlelaterfor R. maximum mixed with Viburnum and vaseyi R. North CarolinaStateUniversityshowplantsonthebaldto be diploids.GeorgeMcLellanfoundoneazaleajustoffthe pictures ofthecolorfulhybridsandnottypicalGregory pinks, whites,yellows,andmulti-colorsthatillustratemost Branch Roadiscurrentlyclosed,soyounowhavetotake and 1,000feethigherinelevation.Thetrickistostartearly, accurately tellthisstorybecausepeopletendtotakemore articles aboutGregory.TypicalpicturesfromGregorydonot the GregoryRidgeTrailupForgeCreek,1.75mileslonger trail toParsonBaldleavestheGregory.[Photo9] tests todatebyDr.TomRanneyandhisgraduatestudentsat Cumberland azalea.[Photo10] July. Mostplantsareinfullsun.Theclimbisroughonthis cumberlandense, hours upandthreedown,withonthetop hike slowlyandsteadily.Formeitisaboutfourahalf of can seeatleast50mileswithCadesCoveclearlyinview. exploring andtakingpictures. edge ofthebaldthatturnedouttobetetraploid,andacolony 72-year-old man.TheshorterGregoryTrailfromParsons The bloomperiodislong,roughlyfrommid-Juneintoearly calendulaceum is Most oftheplantsonbaldlookinmainlike On abeautifuldaywithlowhumidity,fromthetopyou ♦ Photo 10—Ayellowazalea ♦ orange orred.Perhaps10%arethe Photo 11—HooperBaldscene. growing justbelowthebaldwherea on GregoryBald.

1-110I0 UrlarleS A11018WS Gregory Bald may have been created by early burning one of the reddest cumberlandense I have ever seen. I call it and animal grazing. Before the Civil War, Russell Gregory Red Red Red GB. Almost 'Midnight Flare' red. used the bald in the summer for his animals. He had a cabin on the bald. The Forest Service is reclaiming some of the Hooper Bald bald, which had shrunk to about 10 acres. The ARS donated Hooper on the is one of my favorites a mower that the Forest Service hauled up on a mule and for calendulaceum. The Cherohala Skyway is a new roadway, stores in a shed on the edge of the bald. The open area has completed in 1996. It passes by the edge of Huckleberry now been expanded to about 18 acres. In the new part I saw Knob, the highest point along the scenic route at 5,560 feet,

Table 1: Southern Appalachian Azalea Locations Location Where Azaleas When (approx) In NC between Gatlinburg TN and NC, southwest of U.S. 441 Andrews Bald R. calendulaceum mid June at Newfound Gap at end of Rd. R. calendulaceum South of Blairsville GA on AT west of R. cumberlandense early to mid June calendulaceum Blood Mountain Neels Gap on U.S. 19/129. R. arborescens mid to late June otherwise cumb x arb hybrids R. vaseyi early May for vaseyi One of best sections is between R. calendulaceum mid June calendulaceum Blue Ridge Parkway Asheville (NC 191) and Balsam R. arborescens mid to late June arborescens & NC (U.S. 74) R. viscosum viscosum arb x vis hybrids

State park in NC between Mountain Elk Knob City TN and Boone NC, west of U.S. R. calendulaceum mid June 421 on Meat Camp Rd.

State park in southwestern VA near Grayson Highlands R. calendulaceum mid June the NC border, north of U.S. 58 R. cumberlandense R. viscosum On TN/NC border near mid June calendulaceum Gregory Bald R. arborescens TN mid June to July otherwise hybrids among the 3 R. calendulaceum In NC on Cherohala Skyway (NC 143) Hooper Bald between Robbinsville NC and Tellico R. calendulaceum mid June Plains TN R. cumberlandense early to mid May canescens State park in the Taladega R. canescens Mt. Cheaha late May cumberlandense Mountains south of Anniston AL R. arborescens early June arborescens hybrids among the 3 R. vaseyi early May for vaseyi R. calendulaceum On Tower Rd off U.S. 64 between mid June calendulaceum Mt. Toxaway R. viscosum Cashiers and Brevard NC mid to late June arborescens & R. arborescens viscosum arb x vis hybrids On TN/NC border between of Roan Roan Highlands Mountain TN (TN 143) and R. calendulaceum mid June Bakersville NC (NC 261) Up Forest Service Rd 69 (Wayah Rd) R. calendulaceum mid June calendulaceum Wayah & Wine Spring Balds off county Wayah Rd west of R. arborescens mid to late June arborescens Franklin NC

The Azalean / Spring 2018 • 9 and then about a mile farther by Hooper Bald, a 5,430-ft grassy bald. The trail Table 2: Elevations from the parking area at Hooper to the Location Details Elevation bald is only about .25 mile in length. Clingmans Dome 6,643 ft (2,025 m) Like at Elk Knob, this trail leads Andrews Bald through an attractive grassy understory Andrews Bald 5,906 ft (1,800 m) of Pennsylvania sedge. [Photo 11] Blood Mountain 4,459 ft (1,359 m) Hooper Bald is known for its large Buck Spring Gap (MP 407.6) 4,980 ft (1,518 m) and colorful calendulaceum. No other Mt. Pisgah 5,721 ft (1,744 m) azalea species are there. Most are on approx 5,000 ft Mt. Pisgah Inn (MP 408.6) the west side of the west-east ridge (1,524 m) Blue Ridge Parkway before it opens into the large grassy Fryingpan Mountain 5,342 ft (1,628 m) area. The open bald itself is filled in June with colorful yellow Ranunculus Devils Courthouse (MP 422.1) 5,462 ft (1,665 m) approx 5,070 ft (buttercups), and around the edge we Beech Gap (MP 423.3) see witherod viburnum, and mountain (1,545 m) ash. On the east side of the bald you Elk Knob 5,520 ft (1,682 m) get a clear view of Huckleberry Knob. 3,698-5,069 ft (to Grayson Highlands [Photo 12] 1,545 m) Hooper is probably not a natural Gregory Bald 4,948 ft (1,508 m) bald. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a man named George Moore Hooper Bald 5,430 ft (1,655 m) created a fenced hunting preserve on Mt. Cheaha 2,407 ft (734 m) the bald and imported exotic animals. Mt. Toxaway 4,777 ft (1,456 m) That may have been the beginning Round Bald 5,826 ft (1,775 m) of the open bald there. Azaleas took Roan Highlands Jane Bald 5,820 ft (1,773 m) advantage of the sunlight and lack of 6,189 ft (1,886 m) competition. From the parking area, we usually Wayah & Wine Spring 5,342 ft (1,628 m) walk to the bench along the path and Balds Wine Spring Bald 5,440 ft (1,658 m) turn into the woods to the left along a faint trail about 10 yards before the Forest Service road goes to the top of at the top but burned below. The double bench. This trail leads to the lowest Wayah. The Forest Service spur road flame azalea on the Appalachian Trail azalea, informally named by Don to Wine Spring Bald is now closed to had been burned but was in bloom. The Hyatt and others. "Hooper Copper" is vehicle traffic, so we walked up the trusses were very nice. R. arborescens an extremely large-flowered azalea, road to the top and then walked down was just beginning to bloom this year. sometimes with 3-inch blossoms, that the power line that leads back to where Overall, my guess is the fire will in open yellow and age to a copper color. our vehicles were parked. [Photo 13] the long run improve the condition of From there you can wander up through In 2017 we were all anxious to the azaleas. Wayah Bald had become many "rooms" of spectacular azaleas see what had happened with the large overgrown. [Photos 14 and 15] among Fraser fir, mountain laurel, forest fire at Wayah the previous fall. The fire did not reach nearby maple, and blueberries. For several The main damage was on the east and Wine Spring Bald west of Wayah. As years, with the sanction of the National south where the wind-swept fire blasted a precaution, the area all around the Forest folks, members of the Middle up the steep mountainside to the tower transmission and cell towers on Wine Atlantic Chapter ARS have led work and the picnic area. Most of the split Spring was bush-hogged. This cut parties to clear around the azaleas on rail fence leading to the circle at the many especially attractive mountain Hooper. picnic area is gone, completely burned. laurel and several R. arborescens var. Most Hooper azaleas have large The wooden top of the Wayah tower richardsonii under and around the guy flowers. Colors range from yellow to burned, but the rock base seems fine. wires to the towers. I suspect the severe dark red, one informally named by Don Much of the vegetation in the fire areas pruning will not kill them, and they and the others "Best Red". Because was burned. Large trees on the ridge will come back in the next few years. of the openness, the plants are usually top near the hill slope are dead, but we Wine Spring is an excellent location to quite floriferous. Hooper azaleas are saw native azaleas and mountain laurel see R. calendulaceum, R. arborescens, special. sprouting with vigor from their crowns and . If you can catch everywhere. Burned R. maximum did them in a floriferous year and at peak Wayah and Wine Spring Balds not seem to be regenerating. Of course, as we did in 2016, it will be a sight Wayah Bald and nearby Wine Spring the fire killed many azalea trunks but you will remember forever. That year, Bald are known for calendulaceum and probably not the plants themselves. We arborescens. A well-maintained dirt did see some calendulaceum blooming Continued on Page 18

10 • The Azalean / Spring 2018 Continued fromPage10 (cow parsnip)amongmanyother (columbine), and furbishii we wentuptheByronReeceTrailto which werejustbeginningintheforger prolific intheirbloom,especiallyon Bald. Thiswalkgivestheimpression & McKay.DavidLeachconclusively McLellan likestocallthetrailfrom Mountain andgoesthroughSlaughter Aruncus dioicus you canparkandwalkupalongthetrail Appalachian TrailcrossesWayahRoad, At firstalongtheReeceTrail,you AT andtookthetoBloodMountain, Appalachian TrailcrossesBlood and around thebacksideofWineSpring are burgundyincolor,andtheflowers made crosseswith the mountaintowardSlaughterGap. that thepredominantunderstoryshrub the powerlinebackdownhill.Inseveral Lemmon in1942calledthesehybridsa Pen GapRoad(SlaughterMountain Charles MansonTrail.FromUS129 viburnum, very interesting.Thesmoothstems new species, nearby VogelStatePark,WalterP. hybrids. Basedonplantsfoundat higher elevationsare Blood Mountain see side) ortheUSHwy129side.George sight. stage wereinfusedwithdarkburgundy spots darkorangeredazaleaswere Gap. YoucanhikethetrailfromWolf growing upthroughthepinkmountain root forover40yards,makingquitea road wasasolidmassofBowman's demonstrated thattheseplants werein dogwood onWineSpring.Wherethe coloring. Iwaspleasedtoseeapagoda changes to continuing aboutonemilenorthwestof interesting plants.Ononestretchof in thisareais fact hybridsbygrowingseedlings from laurel. Oneparticular Slaughter GaptoBloodMountainthe I hadneverseenthemountainlaurelso arborescens. 18 •The Azalean/ In Georgiaasectionofthe In additiontoazaleas,youcanfind R. calendulaceum plants andbyhisownman- cumberlandense-arborescens [Photo 17] Azalea furbishii R. cumberlandense. calendulaceum. Aquilegia canadensis (goats beard),witherod Heracleum lanateum cumberlandense Spring 2018 R. arborescens arborescens but soonthat Lemmon and At is ♦ Photo 14—DaleBerrongandKarelBernardyinspectfireftermath ♦ ♦ Photo 12—HooperBald Photo 13—R. at WayahBaldJune16,2017. arborescens R. calendulaceum. on WineSpringBald.

vnoto unanes Anarews A V Photo16—Apink-infused Photo 15—Adouble-flowered V Photo17—BloodMountain R. calendulaceum R. calendulaceum R. x furbishii. at WineSpringBald. on WayahBald. E Summer2012. 34(2):37. § Locationfor °F, ._) 2 €g ' References:MoreArticles

noiounanes Anurews Photo Charles Andrews boulder-size rocks.Azaleasgrowlikeweedsamonga bloom atthistime.Thesweetazaleapeaksseveral weeks Mt. Cheaha plants. Thegroundishighlyrocky,withsmallaswell plants ofthismostlyhighelevationspecies.Tomysurprise, water andlargequantitiesof Mountain laurelscattersthehillsides.[Photo18] Appalachians. Ifyouareinterestedinfieldtripsto anyof year. Along thatsmallbranchareCatawbarhododendron,pagoda azalea bloom. a highelevationspecies.Wewonderiftheseplantsare appear tobethecase.Weareplanningatripseethese R. periclymenoides the understoryisnowmuchbrighter.Thishasimproved mountain. OnourtripthefollowingMay,wefoundmany thick groundcoverofboth the mountainhashundredsandofspectacular these places,contactDonHyattdon(&,donaldhyaft.com Charlie [email protected] Catawba rhododendron,andmountainlaurelarealsoin on AppalachianAzalea FieldTrips When planningmyfirsttripin2011,Iexpectedtoseeafew now thinkis of theAppalachians,notpartCumberlandPlateau. southernmost locationsfor spring branchflowing, several yearswethoughttheearlierbloomingpinkswere ground. Walkingaroundandovertheseobstacleswas difficult. Thestormsignificantlyopenedthecanopyand downed trees.Theiceandwindrippedofflargetops dogwood, and quantities oftheCumberlandazalea.Weliketogo every in theTalladegaMountains,Cheahaissouthernend end ofMayisusuallybest.ThePiedmontrhododendron, indigenous toCheaha. early bloomersinflower.[Photo19] found onthemountainare limbs, someafootormoreindiameter,andlitteredthe later. Cheahaisanexcellentlocationtoseethe large fern) over6-feettall.TheCatawbarhododendronismostly find afewbeautiful Interstate 1-20andisnotthesouthernmostbutoneof Come JoinUs Gaylussacia Andrews, Charles."Mount Cheaha,TheSouthernmost Joining We arefortunatetohaveatreasuresuchastheSouthern In February2014,astrongiceandwindstormhitthe The highestpointinAlabamaisMt.Cheaha.Itbelow To seetheCumberlandazaleainbloomatCheaha, In anotherlittledrawdownthemountain,withasmall cumberlandense, (huckleberries). Wandflowerisalsoprominent. Rhododendron cumberlandense." TheAzalean. R. canescens Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (pinxterbloom azalea)butthatdoesnot cumberlandense R. arborescens The Azalean /Spring 2018•19 R. arborescens R. cumberlandense. (Piedmont azalea).Youcan Vaccinium the primaryazaleaspecies R. minus hybrids aswell.For grows nexttothe filled thehillside. (blueberries) and .

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Beasley, Jeff. "Gifts from Tray Mountain." The Azalean. Winter 2000. 22(4): 76-77. Beck, Carolyn F. "Mountains of Native Azaleas: A Trip Through Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee." The Azalean. Winter 2014. 36(4): 76-81. Bell, Doley S. Jr. and Leon Pace. "Hybrid Native Azaleas on Pace Bald." The Azalean. Winter 2005. 27(4): 4-5. Brown, John. "Pace Bald Revisited." The Azalean. Fall 2008. 30(3): 4-5. Brown, John. "Releasing the Balds." The Azalean. Summer 2009. 31(2): 43-44. Brown, John and Bob Stelloh. 2009. "Rhododendron vaseyi and the Southern Appalachians." The Azalean. Fall 2009. 31(3): 66-68. Goza, J. Raymond. "Native Azaleas on Roan Mountain, Tennessee." The Azalean. September 1997. 19(3): 54-55. Hyatt, Donald W. "Native Azaleas on Gregory Bald." The Azalean. Winter 2005. 27(4): 86-88. McLellan, George K. "Searching for the Natives." The Azalean. September 1998. 20(3): 53-55. Schild, Joe. " of North Chickamauga Creek Gorge." The Azalean. December 1998. 20(4): 77-78. Schild, Joe. "Fire on the Mountains." The Azalean. June 2000. 22(2): 30-32.

Portions of this article are based on field reports by Charles Andrews published in Azalea Blooms, the newsletter of the Azalea Chapter ARS.

[Note: In Table 2, MP is the abbreviation for milepost number, Ed.]

Charles Andrews of Cumming, Georgia, is vice president of the ASA and a member of the Vaseyi Chapter. He is a plant lover in general, but his heart is with azaleas. He enjoys writing and speaking on azalea topics, has contributed to The Azalean, and serves on the journal's Editorial Advisory Board. He also serves as president of the Azalea Chapter of the ARS. He has been studying American deciduous azaleas for 35 years. He believes these plants deserve more scientific study and horticultural A Dr. Eugene Aromi checking one of his hybrids against color chips. emphasis. Charles is working to make accurate information on the history, Photo Mike Kittrell, from the April 4, 1997, Mobile Press Register, used identification, distribution, and culture of native azaleas more available. by permission. (See related article p. 15-17)

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The Azalean / Spring 2018 • 21