Rhododendron maximum-27527

Rhododendron maximum — Great rhododendron.

• Native stands of Great rhododendrons grow in dense, nearly impenetrable thickets in the Appalachians, and can cover miles of forest floor.
• Local hunters and hikers often refer to these thickets as "laurel hells", because of the difficulty of movement through the plants, and how easy it is to become disoriented and lost in an area where visibility is so severely restricted.

Credits

Photo taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 in Burke County, NC, USA.