Alpine plant
[1] These include perennial grasses, sedges, forbs, cushion plants, mosses, and lichens.
Alpine plants occur in a tundra: a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees.
[3] One of the biggest distinctions is that the lower bound of a tropical alpine area is difficult to define due to a mixture of human disturbances, dry climates, and a naturally lacking tree line.
Frost action processes have a strong effect on the soil and vegetation of arctic-alpine regions.
[7] Long-lived perennial herbs are the most common type of plant in alpine environments, with most having a large, well-developed root and/or rhizome system.
[8] Alpine plants go into vegetative dormancy at the end of the growing period, forming perennating buds with the shortening photoperiod.
[8] In the first year of growth of perennial alpine plants, most of the photosynthate is used in establishing a stable root system which is used to help prevent desiccation and for carbohydrate storage over winter.
One way is to hide most of the plant in the soil and only letting the flowers and leaves be exposed to air.
[15] As the temperature rises in a plants microclimate, the net photosynthesis rates will increase as long as ample water is available and will peak during flowering.
Bryophytes and lichens exhibit high desiccation tolerance, which contributes to their abundance throughout all alpine areas habitats.
Alpine plants avoid water loss by deep rooting and increased stomatal control.
Because ultraviolet radiation tends to increase with elevation, it is often assumed to be a stress factor among alpine plants.
It is also not clear if the radiation is responsible for promoting genetic differentiation, leading to stunted growth forms.
[17] Plants utilize different strategies to deal with these limits, including alternate flowering time and clonal propagation.
[17] In order to minimize frost damage, preformed flowers are often surrounded by tightly packed bracts that are densely covered in trichomes.
[18] Because of early-season pollinator limitation, plants that bloom early generally have a low rate of reproductive success.
[17] One advantage of flowering early is that seeds that are produced have a greater chance of developing to maturity before the next freeze.
[20] After establishment, each year new shoot growth occurs rapidly from the perennating bud which is usually located close to the soil surface.
[8] Some species, like Erythronium grandiflorum, can begin new shoot growth before snowmelt as they have their perennating buds located in bulbs buried deep in the soil.
Many households in rural Nepal and India rely on medicinal alpine plant trade as a source of income.
[22] In the Indian Himalayas, the alpine medicinal plants such as Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Aconitum heterophyllum, Fritillaria roylei, Podophyllum hexandrum are under severe pressure due to over-exploitation for commercial purposes.
