150 PLANTS OF THE ALPINE MEADOWS 



of the plants themselves. These plants frequently 

 grow in clumps, which produce a wealth of bloom, 

 forming conspicuous masses of colour when the whole 

 meadow is viewed in the aggregate. We frequently 

 notice large colonies of Lychnis, or Silene^ of Bell- 

 flowers and Rampions, of Polygonum^ of Geranium, or 

 Polemonium, each adding its note of colour, and con- 

 tributing to the harmony of the meadow. 



Another peculiarity of the Alpine meadows is 

 that, in the majority of cases, they are comparatively 

 damp or even wet places. Many of the plants of the 

 Alps, with the most conspicuous flowers, thrive best 

 in damp soils. The valley meadows of the Engadine 

 or the Zermatt region are, for the most part, typical 

 damp meadows. Those near Saas Grund, on the 

 other hand, on drier soils are carefully irrigated, in 

 order that they may receive the maximum amount of 

 moisture available. On the E-ieder Alp, above Morel, 

 in the Rhone valley, we find typical water meadows 

 in which a large number of marsh plants, such as 

 Trollius europceus, the Globe Flower, flourish. 



One reason why the soil of an Alpine meadow is 

 much damper than that of a typical English meadow, 

 is the fact that it is well watered by the swiftly flowing 

 streams and their tributaries, which are invariably 

 to be seen traversing the fertile valleys in the Alps. 

 Another and equally important factor is the nature 

 of the soil, which frequently consists entirely of 

 peat, one of the most powerful water - retainers 

 among soils. The peat itself is formed by the slow 



