174 THE HIGH ALPINE PLANTS 



recorded. Nearly a hundred Flowering Plants, as 

 well as a large number of Mosses and Lichens, have 

 been found. Yet the height of the " Jardin " is only 

 9,140 feet, which is low in comparison with the other 

 localities mentioned above. It is nowadays possible 

 to reach by train to even greater heights, where the 

 high Alpine flora may be studied ! 



We may now enquire what is the highest recorded 

 species for Switzerland. According to Prof. Schroeter, 

 Ranunculus glacialis, the Glacial Buttercup, has this 

 honour. This plant has been found at 14,107 feet 

 (4,275 metres) on the Finsteraarhorn, the giant of 

 the Bernese Oberland. Seven other species are 

 known to occur at or above 13,200 feet (4,000 

 metres) — namely, Achillea atrata, Saxifraga aspera, 

 var. hryoides, S. moschata, on the Finsteraarhorn; 

 Androsace glacialis, on the Lauteraarhorngipfel ; and 

 Saxifraga muscoides, S. biflora, and Gentiana hrachy- 

 phylla, at 13,860 feet on the "shoulder" of the 

 Matterhorn. 



If we study the distribution of plants within the 

 Alpine zone — that is, at elevations above 5,000 feet in 

 altitude — we shall find that between eighty and ninety 

 species of Flowering Plants are only found in the 

 higher regions, and do not occur in the lower portion 

 of this zone. At elevations of above 8,000 or 8,500 

 feet, we shall notice that the flora is composed of 

 species such as the Bavarian Gentian, which are 

 also abundant in the lower Alpine region, and in 

 addition a number of other plants occur, many of 



