The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to over 1,500 different species of flowering plants—more than any other North American national park, earning it the nickname of the "Wildflower National Park".[1] Every spring in late April, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the site of the week-long annual spring wildflower pilgrimage [2] to celebrate this diversity.
The park is also the site of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory
[3] to inventory all the living organisms in the park.
This article lists some of the Wildflowers of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, current threats and resources for further information.
Threats
Plant Poaching
Plant poaching is a major threat in the park. In particular, ginseng is a popular target. Removal of specimens such as trilliums and orchids for private gardens is also threatening these populations.[4]
Invasive Species
Introduced forest pests, such as the hemlock woolly adelgid and emerald ash borer are a major threat to the flora of the national parks, targeting over-story species such as the eastern hemlock and ash trees.[5][6] Several invasive plant species such as wild garlic mustard, kudzu, and multiflora rose can also cause harm by out-competing and displacing native species from the park.[7] Feral hogs are another major invasive threat to the park, as they are habitat generalists that will eat just about anything, including the roots and foliage of the park's wildflowers.[8]
Pollution
Within the Great Smoky Mountains, air pollution is a well documented threat to both the foliage of the park and its visitors, contributing to stream acidification, ozone symptoms on plants, and high haze levels.[9]
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