943 



e. The hydrophyte formation round the springs and along 

 streamlets. 



f. The swamp formation. 



These two formations lead naturally over to the moor formation 

 (g) and the heather-moor formation (h), both of which in common 

 with the swamp formation inhabit a humous soil, but differ from 

 it and from one another in the proportion of water present in the 

 soil (see further under g, p. 947). 



e. The hydrophyte formation round springs and streamlets. 



This forms a characteristic plant-formation and takes a con- 

 spicuous place in the physiognomy of the landscape. Even from 

 a distance the mountain slopes can be seen to be veined by bright 

 green stripes, which break the monotony of the predominating 

 darker green. On closer examination one soon finds that the stripes 

 indicate the courses of small hill-streams issuing from springs. The 

 light-green vegetation consists principally of mosses, and may be 

 designated the Philonotis association from the commonest and 

 most conspicuous species. 



In addition to Philonotis fontana, the following mosses are 

 dominant: Martinellia nndulata, M. pnrpiirascens, Pellia Neesiana, 

 Chiloscyphiis pallescens, Anisothecium sqiiarrosum, Astrophyllum punc- 

 tatum, Bryum veniricosum, and Pohlia albicans, var. glacialis; some- 

 what less abundant are: Hypnum riimlare and Amblystegiiim spp., 

 etc. The commoner phanerogams are: Montia lamprosperma, Saxi- 

 fraga stellaris, Epilobium alsinifolium {and E. palustre); also frequent 

 are: Caltha, Cardamine pratensis, Stellaria uliginosa, Carex panicea, 

 Eriophorum polystachyiim and other swamp-plants. 



This formation — with which we may include the vegetation 

 on clifFs over which water constantly trickles — has a characteristic 

 habitat in that it is constantly saturated with water, which is flow- 

 ing, fresh, cold and contains much air (oxygen). The swamp vege- 

 tation has this in common that it possesses a constant surplus of 

 water, but it differs in all the other characteristics of the water- 

 supply and so there arises that great difference which exists in the 

 composition of the vegetation. 



The fresh, flowing spring-water is doubtless favourable to the 

 occurrence of the numerous mosses. The low temperature resulting 

 from the constantly renewed supply of cold water, is unfavourable 

 to phanerogams, or, more correctly, it decreases in an extreme 



