31-740: Shortia galacifolia , the Oconee bells or acony bell , is a rare North American plant in the family Diapensiaceae found in the southern Appalachian Mountains , concentrated in the tri-state border region of Georgia , North Carolina , and South Carolina . Additional populations (some of them naturalized) have been found in Alabama , Tennessee , Virginia , and Massachusetts . Shortia galacifolia has also been reported in Japan, as have three other species of Shortia . Creamy-white flowers appear from late March to May. Seedlings appear in late July and early August. This
62-712: A dense mat that may prevent seeds of other species from embedding in the soil and germinating. Its decayed vegetative matter may also have a toxic effect on other species. Consequently, it is often found as the only or one of few species of ground cover in a given area. It is found at elevations from 185–625 meters (607–2,051 ft). The pattern of elevation distribution varies widely from one watershed to another. Tree species and genera commonly associated with S. galacifolia are: Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock), Betula lenta (sweet birch), Acer rubrum (red maple), Liriodendron tulipifera (yellow poplar), Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum), and Fagus (beech genus). It
93-445: A household in the county was $ 38,587, and the median income for a family was $ 45,579. Males had a median income of $ 31,743 versus $ 21,191 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 20,767. About 6.60% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over. At present Transylvania is a solidly Republican county, although much less so than
124-551: A light to medium brown color. Young plants are usually within 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) of mature plants, but have been found as far away as 6 meters (20 ft). The stalks grow 13–15 centimeters (5–6 in) high and the plants prefer shade and soils with a high humus content. Within its small range, S. galacifolia is invariably found along rivers and in gorges where the land is sloping and shows evidence of natural or man-made disturbance: mud slides, erosion, trees knocked down by wind, logging, etc. Shortia galacifolia often forms
155-612: Is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina . As of the 2020 census the population is 32,986. Its county seat is Brevard . Transylvania County comprises the Brevard, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Asheville-Waynesville-Brevard, NC Combined Statistical Area . The North Carolina General Assembly apportioned Transylvania County on February 15, 1861, from lands previously attributed to neighboring Jackson and Henderson counties; it
186-543: Is a relict evergreen herb which long bewitched Asa Gray , the eminent American botanist , a saga detailed in the paper "Asa Gray and his Quest for Shortia galacifolia" . During a month in Paris from mid-March to mid-April 1839, Gray had seen a fragment of the plant in the Paris herbarium, Jardin des Plantes . He had long sought it in the wild in the mountains of North Carolina . Gray's diary entry for April 8, 1839 records him seeing
217-404: Is about 6 weeks after the maturation of the capsule . Stolons have shallow roots. It prefers loamy soil with some sand and/or clay. It prefers areas where the annual rainfall is 140–200 centimeters (55–79 in). Plants can tolerate bright light for only 2–3 hours per day at midday. The leaves have an orbicular shape with wavy edges plus a heart-shaped base. Seeds are slender and oval, with
248-464: Is land and 1.97 square miles (5.1 km ) (0.52%) water. Transylvania County contains the primary headwaters of the French Broad River , locally called North Fork, West Fork, East Fork, and Middle Fork. Since the county's northern and western boundaries follow mountain ridges, all these tributaries originate from sources in the county. The French Broad flows primarily east and northward through
279-747: Is less commonly seen with: Quercus prinus (chestnut oak), Quercus alba (white oak), Pinus strobus (eastern white pine), Oxydendrum (sourwood), and Robinia (locust tree). Common understory species include Rhododendron maximum (greater rhododendron) in moister conditions and Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel) in drier conditions. Several factors have made S. galacifolia an endemic relict species. It reproduces successfully only in disturbed areas. Light and soil conditions that are beneficial to S. galacifolia change to its detriment as forest canopy and understory get re-established. Shortia galacifolia has been successfully cultivated as far north as Grand-Métis, Quebec . Shortia galacifolia
310-606: Is thought to have originated in the Northern Hemisphere. Family Diapensiaceae members are mostly found in North America and Eastern Asia . Members of Diapensiaceae are mostly herbs or shrublets . Flowers have radial symmetry , are hypogynous , and have most parts arranged in whorls of 5. The ovary is made of three fused carpels . They have both ectotrophic and endotrophic mycorrhiza associations. Transylvania County, North Carolina Transylvania County
341-665: The Keowee River at Jocassee. At the time it was thought to be one of the last living specimens of the plant, with fruits but no flowers. Much of the area around Jocassee and the Keowee River was covered by up to 105 meters (344 ft) of water after the Jocassee Dam was completed in 1973. In Michaux's journal for December 8–11, 1788, he says he found the specimen near the headwaters of the Keowee, near where two rivers join together. Prior to
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#1732869575413372-676: The Pisgah National Forest . In the 1930s, Harry Straus opened a paper mill in the Pisgah Forest area; by the mid-20th century, Straus's Ecusta Paper manufacturing site provided jobs to over 3,000 local residents. During the peak industrial years of the 1950s, DuPont had a factory in the county, employing nearly 1,000 more residents. In the following decades, Brevard College and its namesake town each grew at dramatic rates. The Brevard Music Center and its summer Brevard Music Festival began to attract musicians and enthusiasts from around
403-667: The Blue Ridge Escarpment. Notable waterfalls in the county include Looking Glass Falls , Moore Cove Falls , Rainbow Falls , and Whitewater Falls , the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi . It receives over 90 inches (2,300 mm) of rain annually due to orographic lift , making it the state's wettest county. ( Buncombe County , 30 miles (48 km) northeast, is the driest, as it sits in Transylvania County's rain shadow .) The Blue Ridge Parkway traverses parts of
434-555: The country to Transylvania County. Since the late 20th century, Transylvania County's economy has changed. Many of the manufacturing operations went defunct or moved offshore for cheap labor, including Ecusta and DuPont. Since then, the county has worked to reshape its economy around the growing summer and winter tourism industry in Appalachia. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 380.33 square miles (985.1 km ), of which 378.36 square miles (979.9 km )
465-736: The county into Henderson County. The county's northern border follows the ridge line proximate to the Blue Ridge Parkway , and the southern border mostly follows the Eastern Continental Divide , from the border of Henderson County and South Carolina, westward to near US 178 and Jackson County. The headwaters of Lake Toxaway lie south of the Eastern Continental Divide, becoming the Toxaway River , descending rapidly through Gorges State Park and into Lake Jocassee on
496-531: The county was 92.4% White , 3.9% Black or African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.4% Asian , and 1.12% from two or more races. 2.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 12,320 households, out of which 25.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who
527-585: The county's southern edge. This area, known as the Cane Brake, is difficult to access from North Carolina due to the steep slope of the trails in Gorges State Park, but can be reached more easily via the Foothills Trail from South Carolina. Transylvania County is known as the "Land of Waterfalls", due to it having over 250 waterfalls . This is due to a combination of its high precipitation and location on
558-617: The county, and has views of the Appalachian Mountains , which reach over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) elevation in the county. As of the 2020 census , there were 32,986 people, 14,567 households, and 9,978 families residing in the county. At the 2010 census , there were 33,090 people, 14,394 households, and 8,660 families residing in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile (32 people/km ). There were 15,553 housing units at an average density of 41 units per square mile (16 units/km ). The racial makeup of
589-468: The elder Hyams, on October 27, 1878, telling him the great news. He noted that because the Hyamses had waited eighteen months before contacting Congdon, they had missed the chance to have their discovery included in a new botanical book published in the meantime. In spring 1879 Gray led an expedition, in which the Hyamses assisted, to the spot where S. galacifolia had been found. Gray's final trip to this region
620-865: The genus Galax . Gray made his first field trip to find a wild specimen from late June to late July 1841. Gray never saw Shortia in its native habitat while it was in bloom. He also never visited the area of the Keowee River. The 2011 U.S. postage stamp honoring Gray also depicts this species. Diapensiaceae Diapensiaceae is a small family of flowering plants , which includes 15 species in 6 genera . The genera include Berneuxia Decne. (1 species), Diapensia L. (5 species), Galax Sims (1 species), Pyxidanthera Michx. (2 species), Shortia Torr. & A.Gray (4 species), and Schizocodon Siebold & Zucc. (2 species). Members of this family have little economic importance; however, some members are cultivated by florists. Past literature classified Diapensiaceae as an old family, without defining
651-566: The meaning of old. The name Diapensia was given to Diapensia lapponica by Linnaeus . Previously, it was the Greek name of sanicle . The family, originally including only Diapensia lapponica , was named by Heinrich Friedrich Link in 1829. Concerning the interrelationships in Diapensiaceae, debate still remains regarding the recognition of Schizocodon and whether it should be separate from Shortia . However, recent molecular studies support
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#1732869575413682-582: The plant's rediscovery, Gray made several unsuccessful trips to this region, the last one in 1876. A specimen of S. galacifolia was not rediscovered until May 1877 on the banks of the Catawba River in McDowell County, North Carolina by George McQueen Hyams (1861–1932). His father, M. E. Hyams (1819–1891), collected medicinal herbs and sold them to a Baltimore, Maryland drug firm. The Hyams did not know what they had found. Eighteen months later they sent
713-499: The specimen to lawyer and botanist Joseph Whipple Congdon , who contacted Gray, telling Gray that he felt he had found Shortia . For the preceding 39 years, Gray had been enraptured by his search for a living example in the field. When a specimen was finally placed in Gray's hand as proof, he exclaimed: "Now let me sing my nunc dimittis ." Gray wrote about the rediscovery to his colleague William M. Canby on October 21, 1878. Gray wrote to
744-588: The specimen, which he believed was a new genus. That specimen had been discovered by André Michaux , who identified the place where he found the specimen as "High Mountains of Carolina." There has been disagreement as to whether Michaux's original collection site was in Transylvania County, North Carolina at the confluence of the Horsepasture and Toxaway rivers, or in Oconee County, South Carolina along
775-465: The split of the two genera. Additionally, recognition of species within the genera has been debated. Within the genus Pyxidanthera , two species have previously been recognized. Recent morphology and molecular work found that the two species do not differ morphologically, gene flow exists between them, and the taxa are not monophyletic . Over time, various relationships among Diapensiaceae and other angiosperm families have been proposed. Previously, it
806-620: The vast majority of Appalachia . No Democratic presidential nominee has carried Transylvania County since Jimmy Carter did so in 1976. Transylvania County has a council-manager form of government, with a five-member Board of Commissioners elected at large. The Commissioners hire and supervise a separate County Manager. The current County Manager is Jaime Laughter. The current members of the Board of Commissioners are Jason Chappell (chairman), Jake Dalton (vice-chairman), Teresa McCall, Larry Chapman, and Emmett Casciato. Transylvania Regional Hospital (TRH)
837-457: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.74. In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.40% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males. The median income for
868-550: Was formed in 1933 with the mission to serve the community's health care needs. A 94-bed facility fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), it has more than 120 active, consulting and courtesy physicians representing a full spectrum of specialties. Transylvania County is a member of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council of governments. The current mayor of Brevard
899-506: Was in 1884. In Gray's diary entry for April 8, 1839, he named the genus after Charles Wilkins Short , because the plant was native to America in a region close to where Short lived in Kentucky. Short and Gray never met, but they corresponded with one another frequently. Short never saw a live nor dried specimen of his namesake genus. The galacifolia part of the name means "galax-like leaves" because its evergreen leaves are shaped like leaves in
930-431: Was named by representative Joseph P. Jordan. Until the early 20th century, the vast majority of Transylvania County residents subsisted through agriculture, growing staples such as potatoes and cabbage. Beginning in the early 20th century, with Joseph Silverstein's tannery in what was renamed as Rosman in 1905, a manufacturing economy began to develop in the county. It relied on timber and related products harvested from
961-573: Was placed within the order Rosales, as well as in the Cornales . Diapensiaceae was also placed in an order of its own in the Cronquist system and by Takhtajan . Recent studies have placed Diapensiaceae as part of the Ericales clade, belonging to the “styracoids” (Diapensiaceae, Styracaceae , Symplocaceae ). It is estimated that Diapensiaceae diverged from Sytracaceae about 93 million years ago. The family