CHAPTER X 



THE SHADE PLANTS OF THE ALPINE FORESTS 



In the present chapter we will discuss some of the 

 commoner and more interesting plants, chiefly- 

 herbaceous, which thrive for the most part only in 

 the shade of the Alpine forests and thickets. The 

 physical conditions which prevail in such habitats are 

 markedly different from those of the open pastures. 

 In the first place, the intensity of the illumination is 

 much less. Here and there direct sunlight may 

 penetrate in fine weather, but as a rule only very 

 diffuse light prevails. Again, the soil is generally 

 rich in humus or vegetable debris, derived from the 

 thick carpet of discarded leaves of the Spruce or 

 Larch which covers the forest floor. Many plants 

 avoid soils rich in humus, while others are very 

 partial to them. Another difference is found in the 

 fact that the shade plants are, to some extent, 

 protected from the weather, especially the wind. 

 Their roots also probably receive less moisture than if 

 they grew on the open Alp. 



Of all the characteristic conditions under which 



246 



