Bolster heath
Encyclopedia
Bolster heath or cushion moorland is a type of vegetation community that features a patchwork of very low growing, tightly packed plants found at the limits of some alpine
environments. The cushion plant
s form a smooth surfaced 'cushions' from several different plants, hence the common name of cushion heath. The cushion growth habit provides protection against the desiccating wind and help keep the cluster warm.
Bolster heath is very slow growing and thus very fragile. Most propagation is by slow expansion, although two species, Abrotanella forsteroides and Pterygopappus lawrencei produce enough viable seed to survive fire. The other species are generally permanently destroyed by fire.
The soil in bolster heath is generally very poor, often gravel with a thin layer of peat
.
Asteraceae
Caryophyllaceae
Centrolepidaceae
Cyperaceae
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
environments. The cushion plant
Cushion plant
A cushion plant is a compact, low growing, mat forming plant that is found in alpine, subalpine, arctic, or subarctic environments around the world...
s form a smooth surfaced 'cushions' from several different plants, hence the common name of cushion heath. The cushion growth habit provides protection against the desiccating wind and help keep the cluster warm.
Bolster heath is very slow growing and thus very fragile. Most propagation is by slow expansion, although two species, Abrotanella forsteroides and Pterygopappus lawrencei produce enough viable seed to survive fire. The other species are generally permanently destroyed by fire.
The soil in bolster heath is generally very poor, often gravel with a thin layer of peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
.
AsteraceaeAsteraceaeThe Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
- Abrotanella forsteroides (AbrotanellaAbrotanellaAbrotanella is a genus in the family Asteraceae, of about 20 species, native to New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and temperate South America....
) - Ewartia meredithiae (EwartiaEwartiaEwartia is a genus of daisies that is in New Zealand and Australia. It is named after a 20th century botanist and plant collector named Alfred James Ewart.The species in this genus are:*Ewartia argentifolia...
) - Pterygopappus lawrencei (PterygopappusPterygopappusPterygopappus is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family....
)
CaryophyllaceaeCaryophyllaceaeThe Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
- Colobanthus pulvinatus (ColobanthusColobanthusColobanthus is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus Sagina.-Selected species:* Colobanthus affinis* Colobanthus apetalus...
) - Scleranthus biflorus (ScleranthusScleranthusScleranthus, the knawels, are a genus of herbaceous plants in the carnation family.Species include:*Scleranthus annuus L. , native to Africa, Europe, Asia and naturalised elsewhere....
)
CentrolepidaceaeCentrolepidaceaeCentrolepidaceae is a botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists.The APG II system, of 2003 , also recognises such a family, and assigns it to the order Poales in the clade commelinids in the monocots.The family is now regarded as...
- Centrolepis monogyna (CentrolepisCentrolepisCentrolepis is a genus of small herbaceous plants in the family Centrolepidaceae known as thorn grass scales, with about 25 species native to Australia, New Zealand, and south-east Asia extending to Hainan Dao....
) - Centrolepis muscoides (CentrolepisCentrolepisCentrolepis is a genus of small herbaceous plants in the family Centrolepidaceae known as thorn grass scales, with about 25 species native to Australia, New Zealand, and south-east Asia extending to Hainan Dao....
) - Gaimardia fitzgeraldii (Gaimardia)
- Gaimardia setacea (Gaimardia)
CyperaceaeCyperaceaeCyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
- Carpha rodwayi (CarphaCARPHAThe Caribbean Public Health Agency The creation of the new Caribbean Public Health Agency was approved by the Caribbean Heads of Government in March 2010. CARPHA will replace and build on the work of the Caribbean Community’s five Regional Health Institutions , following a phased transition period...
) - Oreobolus acutifolius (Oreobolus)
- Oreobolus oligocephalus (Oreobolus)
- Oreobolus oxycarpus (Oreobolus)
- Oreobolus pumilio (Oreobolus)