178 THE HIGH ALPINE PLANTS 



the lower Alpine region, are distinctly smaller plants 

 and shorter in stature, even if they cannot all be 

 termed true dwarfs. 



The term ''Alpine habit," if applied in any 

 other sense than size, has no botanical significance. 

 There are several types of Alpine habit or build, 

 which, with one exception, are found both in the 

 lower and the higher Alpine regions. Thus, apart 

 from the cushion plants, which are only represented by 

 one or two species in the lower Alpine zone, the "archi- 

 tectural" peculiarities of High Alpines only diflfer from 

 those of the lower Alpines in degree, not in kind. 



We will now discuss the different types of habit 

 met with in the High Alpine region : the cushion plants, 

 the carpet plants, the rosette plants, and the normal 

 but dwarf habits. 



We have seen that among the Alpines of Switzer- 

 land many of the species are British plants. When 

 we turn to the High Alpine plants, it is interesting to 

 find that several, though a much smaller proportion, 

 are also British. The Alpine Cerast {Cerastium 

 alpinum, Linn.), the Crowberry {Empetrum nigrum, 

 Linn.), the Mountain Lloydia {Lloydia serotina, Sweet), 

 the Scotch Asphodel {Tofieldia palustris, Huds.), and 

 the Reticulate and Dwarf Willows, are, for example, 

 almost confined in Switzerland to the High Alpine 

 region. Several other plants, common both in the 

 lower and higher Alpine regions, such as the Moss 

 Campion [Silene acaulis, Linn.) and the Purple 

 Saxifrage {S. opposUifolia^ Linn.), are also British. 



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