Oconee Bells | The Cove Forest

(Shortia galacifolia)

A small evergreen species related to galax with white flowers produced in March. It was discovered ty the French botanist Andre Michaux in 1787 growing at the confluence of the Horsepasture and Keowee Rivers. This species is only found in two small areas, one in the upper Savannah river drainage in northwestern South Carolina, southwestern North Carolina, and northeastern Georgia, and in McDowell Country, North Carolina.