Flora of the Alps
Encyclopedia
The flora of the Alps is diverse. In the mountain
s, the vegetation
gradually changes with altitude
, sun exposure, and location on the mountain. There are five successive life zone
s, each with distinct landscape
s and vegetation characteristics: premontane, montane
, subalpine
, alpine
, and alvar
.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s, the vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
gradually changes with altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
, sun exposure, and location on the mountain. There are five successive life zone
Life zone
The Life Zone concept was developed by C. Hart Merriam in 1889 as a means of describing areas with similar plant and animal communities. Merriam observed that the changes in these communities with an increase in latitude at a constant elevation are similar to the changes seen with an increase in...
s, each with distinct landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
s and vegetation characteristics: premontane, montane
Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
, subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
, alpine
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....
, and alvar
Alvar
An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse vegetation. It is also known as a pavement barren although this term is also used for similar landforms based on sandstone. In the United Kingdom the exposed landform is called a limestone...
.
A
- Aconitum lycoctonum
- Aconitum napellusAconitum napellusAconitum napellus is a species of Aconitum in the family Ranunculaceae, native and endemic to western and central Europe....
- Adenostyles alliariae
- Adenostyles leucophylla
- Agrimonia eupatoriaAgrimonia eupatoriaAgrimonia eupatoria is a species of agrimony that is often referred to as common agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort....
- Alchemilla alpinaAlchemilla alpinaAlchemilla alpina, Alpine Lady's Mantle, is an arctic-montane herbaceous perennial plant native to Europe and Southern Greenland.Alpine Lady's Mantle has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy, and is used in horticulture as a ground cover and in rock gardens.-External links:*...
- Androsace carnea
- Anemone vernamis
- Antennaria dioicaAntennaria dioicaAntennaria dioica is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae...
- Aquilegia alpina
- Arctostaphylos alpinus
- Arenaria pseudofrigida
- Armeria alpina
- Arnica montanaArnica montanaArnica montana, known commonly as leopard's bane, wolf's bane, mountain tobacco and mountain arnica, is a European flowering plant with large yellow capitula....
- Artemisia mutellina
- Asphodelus albus
- Aster alpinusAster alpinusAster alpinus is an ornamental plant native the mountains of Europe , with a subspecies native to Canada and the United States. It is a perennial forb having purple, pink or blue flowers belonging to the genus Aster.-Description: It grows to be about 6-12 inches...
- Astrantia majorAstrantia majorAstrantia major, common name Great Masterwort, is an herbaceous, perennial plant with a rhizome, belonging to the family Apiaceae.-Etymology:...
C
- Caltha palustrisCaltha palustrisCaltha palustris is a herbaceous perennial plant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere....
- Campanula barbata
- Campanula persicifoliaCampanula persicifoliaCampanula persicifolia or Peach-leaved Bellflower is a plant species of the genus Campanula. It can be almost one meter high. Its flowers are cup-shaped and can be either lilac-blue or white. Its foliage is narrow and glossy with a bright green appearance.It is common in the Alps and other...
- Campanula thyrsoides
- Campanula zoysiiCampanula zoysiiCampanula zoysii is a flower in the genus Campanula .-Range and habitat:...
- Carlina acanthifolia
- Carlina acaulisCarlina acaulisCarlina acaulis is a perennial dicotyledonous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe...
- Carlina vulgarisCarlina vulgarisCarline Thistle is a species of the genus Carlina....
- Centaurea jaceaCentaurea jaceaCentaurea jacea is a species of herbaceous perennial plants in the genus Centaurea native to dry meadows and open woodland throughout Europe...
- Centaurea montanaCentaurea montanaCentaurea montana is a species of Centaurea endemic to Europe. It is widespread and common in the more southerly mountain ranges of Europe, but is rarer in the north...
- Centaurea phrygiaCentaurea phrygiaCentaurea phrygia is a species of Centaurea. It is native to Europe....
- Centaurea scabiosaCentaurea scabiosaCentaurea scabiosa or Greater Knapweed is a perennial plant of the genus Centaurea. It is native to Europe and bears purple flower heads.Greater knapweed is found growing in dry grasslands, hedgerows and cliffs on lime-rich soil...
- Chamerion angustifolium
- Chenopodium bonus-henricus
- Cicerbita alpinaCicerbita alpinaCicerbita alpina or Alpine Blue-sow-thistle is a perennial herbaceous plant species belonging to the genus Cicerbita of the Asteraceae family.-Description:...
- Cicerbita plumieri
- Cirsium spinosissimumCirsium spinosissimumCirsium spinosissimum is a species of thistle which grows on dry rocky areas. The plant is between 20 to 80 cm....
- Clematis alpinaClematis alpinaClematis alpina or Alpine Clematis is a flowering deciduous vine of the genus Clematis. Like many members of that genus, it is prized by gardeners for its showy flowers. It bears 1 to 3-inch spring flowers on long stalks in a wide variety of colors. C...
- Crocus vernusCrocus vernusCrocus vernus is a species in Family Iridaceae. Its cultivars and those of Crocus flavus are used as ornamental plants. The Dutch Crocusses are larger than the other cultivated crocus species...
- Cyclamen europaeumCyclamen purpurascensCyclamen purpurascens is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to continental Europe. It is the cyclamen with the northmost natural range and one of the hardiest, grown outdoors as far north as Calgary, Alberta.-Etymology:The species name purpurāscēns is a present participle from the Latin verb...
- Cypripedium calceolusCypripedium calceolusCypripedium calceolus is a lady's-slipper orchid, and the type species of the genus Cypripedium.It is a widespread plant worldwide, found from Europe east through Asia to the Pacific Ocean. It is found in open woodland on moist calcareous soils. It is found in continental Europe growing in the...
D
- Dactylorhiza fuchsii
- Dactylorhiza maculataDactylorhiza maculataThe Heath Spotted Orchid or Moorland Spotted Orchid , is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae.-Etymology:...
- Daphne cneorumDaphne cneorumDaphne cneorum, the Garland flower or Rose Daphne, is a species of low spreading shrub grown for its pink fragrant flowers. All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans. It is a European plant from the Alps and Pyrenees....
- Dianthus monspessulanusDianthus monspessulanusDianthus monspessulanus, common name the Fringed Pink, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus Dianthus belonging to the Caryophyllaceae family...
- Dianthus pavoniusDianthus pavoniusDianthus pavonius, common name Peacock-eye Pink, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus Dianthus belonging to the Caryophyllaceae family.-Etymology:...
- Digitalis grandifloraDigitalis grandifloraDigitalis grandiflora is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae. In mountains it grows on warm, bushy slopes or areas left after logging....
- Digitalis luteaDigitalis luteaDigitalis lutea, a Yellow Foxglove, is a short-lived perennial plant.The flowers are tubular, yellow, with brown dots on the inside of the corolla. Flowers are borne beginning in late spring, then sporadically throughout the summer and fall....
- Digitalis purpureaDigitalis purpureaDigitalis purpurea , is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae , native to most of Europe.-Description:...
- Doronicum grandiflorumDoronicum grandiflorumDoronicum grandiflorum is a species of Doronicum, a member of the aster family.D. grandiflorum is a perennial herb growing 10-40 cm. tall and bearing numerous yellow flower heads borne singly on hairy stalks. The large, ovate ground-leaves have toothed edges and are supported by long, narrow...
- Dryas octopetalaDryas octopetalaDryas octopetala is an arctic-alpine flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It is a small prostrate evergreen subshrub forming large colonies, and is a popular flower in rock gardens...
E
- Erinus alpinusErinus alpinusErinus alpinus is a perennial plant of the family Plantaginaceae, native to Central and Southern Europe...
- Eriophorum angustifolium
- Eritrichium nanum
- Eryngium alpinumEryngium alpinumEryngium alpinum is a herbaceous perennial plant of Eryngium genus, belonging to the Apiaceae family.-Etymology:...
G
- Gentiana acaulisGentiana acaulisGentiana acaulis is a small gentian native to central and southern Europe from Spain east to the Balkans, growing especially in mountainous regions, such as the Alps, Cevennes and the Pyrenees, at heights of 800 to 3,000 m....
- Gentiana alpina
- Gentiana kochiana
- Gentiana luteaGentiana luteaGentiana lutea is a species of gentian native to the mountains of central and southern Europe. Other names include 'Yellow Gentian', 'Bitter Root', 'Bitterwort', 'Centiyane', and 'Genciana'.-Growth:...
* - Gentiana nivalis
- Gentiana verna
- Geranium silvaticum
- Geum montanum
- Gymnadenia conopsea
H
- Heracleum sphondylium
- Hieracium alpinum
- Hieracium pilosella
- Hieracum intybaceum
L
- Leontopodium alpinum
- Leucanthemopsis alpina
- Lilium bulbiferum
- Lilium martagonLilium martagonLilium martagon is a species of lily. It has a widespread native region extending from central Europe east through northern Asia to Mongolia and Korea. Several subspecies have been named. Horticulturally it is in Division 9, It is stem-rooting, growing between 1m and 2m tall...
- Linaria alpinaLinaria alpinaLinaria alpina, sometimes called alpine toadflax, is a purple-flowered member of the genus Linaria. It is found in many mountain ranges in southern and central Europe from the Sierra de Gredos and the Montes de León in Spain to the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula including the Jura...
- Loiseleurie couchée
P
- Papaver pyrenaicum
- Papaver rhaeticum
- Phyteuma hemisphaericum
- Phyteuma spicatumPhyteuma spicatumPhyteuma spicatum, or spiked rampion, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Campanulaceae....
- Pinguicula alpinaPinguicula alpinaPinguicula alpina, also known as the alpine butterwort, is species of carnivorous plant native to high latitudes and altitudes throughout Eurasia. It is one of the most widespread Pinguicula species, being found in mountainous regions from Iceland to the Himalayas...
- Pinguicula grandifloraPinguicula grandifloraPinguicula grandiflora, commonly known as the large-flowered butterwort, is a temperate insectivorous plant in the Lentibulariaceae family. One distinguishing feature of the species is its flower, which is much larger than the average for the genus....
- Pinguicula vulgarisPinguicula vulgarisPinguicula vulgaris, the Common butterwort, is a perennial carnivorous plant in the Lentibulariaceae family. It grows to a height of 3–16 cm, and is topped with a purple, and occasionally white, flower that is 15 mm or longer, and shaped like a funnel. This butterwort grows in damp...
R
- Ranunculus glacialisRanunculus glacialisRanunculus glacialis, the glacier crowfoot or glacier buttercup, is a plant of the family Ranunculaceae.-Distribution:Ranunculus glacialis is an arctic-alpine species, found in the high mountains of southern Europe as well as on the Scandinavian peninsula, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Jan Mayen,...
- Ranunculus pyrenaeus
- Rhododendron ferrugineumRhododendron ferrugineumRhododendron ferrugineum is an evergreen shrub that grows just above the tree line in the Alps, Pyrenees, Jura and northern Apennines, on acid soils. It may grow up to 1 m tall and produces clusters of pinkish-red, bell-shaped flowers throughout the summer...
- Rosa pendulina
- Rumex crispus
- Rumex nivalisRumex nivalisRumex nivalis is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family. It is endemic to Europe.The plant was first discovered by Alexander Moritzi in 1836 in the Swiss Alps. It is most plentiful at 7000 feet above sea level....
S
- Saxifraga oppositifolia
- Saxifraga paniculataSaxifraga paniculataSaxifraga paniculata is a species of saxifrage native to the United States.-External links:*...
- Saxifraga stellarisSaxifraga stellarisSaxifraga stellaris, the starry saxifrage or hairy kidney-wort, is an Arctic-alpine species of saxifrage. It produces panicles of 5–10 white flowers on a stem up to tall, rising from a basal leaf rosette...
- Scabiosa columbaria
- Scabiosa lucida
- Scilla bifoliaScilla bifoliaScilla bifolia is a herbaceous perennial growing from an underground bulb, belonging to the genus Scilla of the Asparagaceae family....
- Sempervivum archnoideum
- Sempervivum montanum
- Senecio doronicum
- Senecio fuchsii
- Senecio leucophyllus
- Silene acaulis
- Silene rupestrisSilene rupestrisSilene rupestris or Rock Campion is a plant species of the genus Silene....
- Silene vulgarisSilene vulgarisSilene vulgaris, Silene cucubalus or Bladder Campion is a plant species of the genus Silene of the Pink Family . It is native to Europe, where in some parts it is eaten, but is widespread in North America where it is considered a weed..-Gastronomy:In Spain, the young shoots and the leaves are used...
- Soldanella alpinaSoldanella alpinaThe alpine snowbell or blue moonwort, Soldanella alpina, is a member of the Primulaceae native to the Alps and Pyrenees.- External links :*...
- Stipa pennataStipa pennataStipa pennata, common name feather grass, is a flowering plant in the family Poaceae, which is grown as an ornamental plant for its feathery flowering spikes....