Beech, dogwood, and sourwood are found in the understory. Eastern flowering dogwood, sourwood, umbrella magnolia and eastern redbud are prominent among the smaller trees. Juice from its blooms is used to make sourwood jelly. "Sourwood Mountain" is a traditional American folk song. During sourwood bloom, there is little else for the bees to forage. A hollow reed or sourwood stem would be inserted into the pipe for smoking. Sourwood Mountain is a popular old-time tune in the Appalachian region of the United States.