Alpine and Arctic Floras 
Although Salix herbacea and lapponum are minute 
woody little plants, they are obviously the close allies of 
the tall shrubs and pine trees of lowland riversides. 
But the root system of many of these tiny mountain 
plants is often very well developed. 
In acollection of plants made by Dr. Thorold at high 
altitudes in Tibet (between Niti and Mansarowar), 
there was not a single plant which ‘had a stem more 
than 1 foot in height. A large number were less than 
z inch, and very few more than 3 inches high, 
Five of these plants were found at over 18,000 feet 
altitude, and one of them, the tiny Saussurea tridactyla, 
was found at 19,000 feet, and holds apparently the 
record for alpine climbers in the plant world.* Dr. 
Radde,* who thoroughly explored the Caucasus, also 
gives many examples. He found, eg., Draba rigida, 
one-sixth to one-eighth of an inch, at 11,000 feet, Sedum 
tenellum three-quarters of an inch ; our eyebright or a 
form of it (Euphrasia officinalis), only one-half to three- 
quarters of an inch, and yet all these were perfect plants, 
quite healthy, and able to flower and set seed! Draba 
and Alsine, only 1 inch in height, had a fibrous net- 
work of roots some 3 to 5 inches in diameter. 
When one searches for this kind of starveling dwarf 
in Britain, one may occasionally find them. Thus, e.g., 
near Sligo Bay, in a dry sandy soil, the author found 
eight or nine different plants about 1 inch in height, 
and with fine root systems. One also discovers them 
on dry rocks near the seashore. 
The common juniper is a good case in point. In 
lowland districts this is a large shrub or small tree, 
which is occasionally 30 feet high. But in the 
mountains it becomes a dwarf form (Juniperus nana), 
which is seldom 1 foot high. 
If one cultivates Juniperus nana in the lowlands, as 
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