vandaliatraveler: Appalachian Summer, 2018, Volume Twelve: Great Rhododendron. Perhaps the most
vandaliatraveler:Appalachian Summer, 2018, Volume Twelve: Great Rhododendron. Perhaps the most recognizable evergreen shrub of Appalachia’s rich, mesic forests, great rhododendron(Rhododendron maximum) forms dense, understory thickets along stream banks and on shady, well-drained mountain slopes and ravines. Also commonly referred to as great laurel and rosebay rhododendron, the plant is a dramatically creative contortionist, with many snaking, upward-vaulting branches emerging from a short trunk and pushing the crown up and out into a multi-tiered, arching mound. It’s long, waxy, verdant leaves and great size (older plants can grow up to thirty feet under ideal conditions) easily distinguish it from other evergreen shrubs in the Appalachian forest, including mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia). In early summer, great rhododendron produces large clusters of white to pink, bell-shaped flowers from the tops of its tangled branches. The shrub spreads quickly both by seed and by suckering, a process through which above-ground stems form new roots where they come into contact with the ground. While the dense thickets formed by rhododendron are quite beautiful and provide shelter to many wildlife species, they also tend to decrease diversity in the forest understory by inhibiting regeneration of other plants. The lower photo was taken at Pine Mountain in Kentucky and indicates just how dense these thickets can become in the Central and Southern Appalachians. -- source link
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