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- Mount LeConte in Tennessee
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- Hymenocallis Coronaria LeConte
The
LeConte’s Legacy
Many members of the LeConte family spent their lives in search of scientific
discovery.
Believe it or not, two mountains, a fish and a flower all have something in
common – the LeConte name!
Mount LeConte is located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in
Tennessee. If you measure it’s height from the base to its highest peak
it is the tallest mountain in the Eastern United States. It is made up
of sandstone, siltstone, shale and conglomerate formed over 450-800
million years ago. There is controversy as to whether the mountain was
named for Joseph LeConte or for
Joseph’s brother, John. Read
about hiking Mount LeConte and view more pictures.
Another Mount LeConte is located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in
California. The mountain was named for
Joseph LeConte in 1895. It is located near Sequoia National Park and
the John Muir Wilderness and lies approximately 3.5 miles southeast of
Mount Whitney. Joseph LeConte visited the Sierra on numerous occasions,
often with members of his family. Read more about
Joseph’s historical connection to the Sierras, the LeConte Divide,
LeConte Falls and the LeConte Memorial Lodge. Read a portion of
Joseph LeConte’s
journal describing his excursions in the high Sierras.
The Hymenocallis Coronaria LeConte or Shoals Spider-lily is an aquatic,
perennial flowering plant native to the Southeastern United States and
found only in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. William Bartram was
the first to scientifically describe it in 1793. Within Alabama it is
known as the Cahaba Lily but outside of that state it is called the
Shoals Spider-lily because it requires swift, shallow water current and
direct sunlight to flourish. It grows to be about 3 feet tall and
develops from a bulb that lodges between rocks in the shoals. It blooms
from early May to late June and each flower blooms for only one day.
The LeConte’s Loach is a freshwater fish found mainly in rapid-moving
streams in Europe, Asia and Morocco. They are nocturnal and prefer to be in the company of others of their species.
Loaches are mostly scavengers and eat crustaceans, insects and other
small invertebrates. They are a popular food fish in East Asian
countries such as Japan. Some are also caught and used for bait. They
are also a popular aquarium fish in South and South-East Asia.
In addition to what has already been mentioned, there are two bird
species; three turtles; a mountain in the Sierras; a lake; a
waterfall; a divide; a dome; a glacier in Alaska; two species of plants;
three fossils; a pear tree; a mouse; a school; three university
buildings and three avenues that carry the LeConte name.