The Moss Campion or Cushion 



Pink 



(SILENE ACAULIS) 



WHEREVER conditions are unfavourable to plant life, not only 

 on high mountains but also in deserts and by the seashore, 

 the plants that manage to survive frequently respond by a 

 process of co-operation and form dense cushion-like masses. 

 In the high Alps many examples of this are seen. The 

 individual plants are closely huddled together in the form of 

 a tuft, not only on account of warmth and natural protection 

 and to prevent their being blown away by rough winds, but 

 also because the cushion acts as a sort of reservoir or sponge 

 and prevents the little plants being dried up by the fierce rays 

 of the sun. 



The Moss Campion is a typical " Cushion plant." It is 

 found abundantly all over the Alps, especially in the lime- 

 stone regions between 5000 and 10,000 feet or even higher. 

 It grows in open rocky places, often on the bare rock itself, 

 and in the neighbourhood of glaciers, and may be found close 

 up to the snowline. The bright green moss-like cushions 

 formed of the dense clusters of leaves become sprinkled over 

 with pinkish-purple star-like flowers in June, July, and 

 August. Occasionally the flowers are white. The long 

 conical root penetrates far into the soil or into some fissure 

 in the rocks, thus securely anchoring the plant, and divides 



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