{"id":40108,"date":"2024-09-13T17:48:24","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T15:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/6b62d06b-d159-4e1a-81a0-17adadec03a3"},"modified":"2024-09-13T18:26:39","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T16:26:39","slug":"what-flowers-grow-on-britains-highest-mountains-the-mountain-flora-that-flourishes-on-our-loftiest-peaks","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/what-flowers-grow-on-britains-highest-mountains-the-mountain-flora-that-flourishes-on-our-loftiest-peaks\/","title":{"rendered":"What flowers grow on Britain\u2019s highest mountains? The mountain flora that flourishes on our loftiest peaks"},"content":{"rendered":"

We take a look at the beautiful flowers that make their home at altitude <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 13 September 2024 at 15:48 PM<\/p>

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Britain’s mountain<\/a> summits are all below 1,400m and are conducive to plant growth, so species such as the tiny rock whitlowgrass Draba norvegica<\/em>, a member of the cabbage family, can be found in rock crevices there. <\/strong><\/p>

Species that tolerate harsh conditions at that altitude tend to form a highly specialised community and include mosses, ferns<\/a> and sedges, as well as some of Britain\u2019s rarest Arctic\u2013Alpine wildflowers, like Alpine gentian Gentiana nivalis <\/em>and Alpine fleabane Erigeron boreali<\/em> <\/p>

Scotland\u2019s Ben Lawers (1,200m) is famous for its mountain flora that survive prolonged sub-zero temperatures and snow cover, high winds, high rainfall, low nutrients and a short growing season. <\/p>

These high- altitude communities are composed of highly adapted species, such as the rare drooping saxifrage Saxifraga cernua, <\/em>which has forsaken flowers and the uncertainty of pollination <\/a>for tiny buds called bulbils that are washed away in rain and grow into new plants. <\/p>