The Greenlee series has an ochric epipedon and is in loamy-skeletal, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Dystrochrepts family. Cullasaja soils are on benches, foot slopes, toe slopes, drainageways, and fans in coves in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Elevation ranges from about 1,500 to 4,800 feet. Slopes are commonly 15 to 50 percent, but range from 8 to 95 percent. These soils formed in colluvium derived from materials weathered from felsic to mafic, high-grade metamorphic and igneous rocks such as granite, mica gneiss, hornblende gneiss, and schist.
Climate is temperate and humid.
Mean annual air temperature ranges from 46 to 57 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from about 50 to 80 inches. These are the Ashe , Cashiers , Chandler , Chestnut , Cleveland , Edneyville , Evard , Fannin , Haywood , Plott , Porters , Saluda , Saunook , Sylva , Trimont , Tuckasegee , Tusquitee , and Whiteside soils. Ashe, Cashiers, Chandler, Chestnut, Cleveland, Edneyville, Evard, Fannin, Plott, Porters, Saluda, and Trimont soils formed in residuum with some soil creep in the upper part, have C horizons in saprolite, and are on locally higher mountain ridgetops and side slopes. Saunook soils also formed in colluvium, but they have argillic horizons and are fine-loamy. Haywood, Tuckasegee and Tusquitee soils formed in colluvium, but they are fine-loamy.