Hi, my name is Kathleen, and Iâm a vegetation intern at Rocky Mountain National Park.
At the greenhouse we grow a lot of native plant species that will be used for restoration
projects all over the park.
Today, I wanted to introduce you to one of our alpine plants, Dryas octopetala, and Iâll
also discuss the alpine environment and how plants adapt.
Dryas octopetala is in the rose, or Rosaceae family, and has several common names such
as mountain avens, mountain dryad, eight-petal avens... Itâs got a lot of common names so
for the sake of simplicity weâll refer to it by its Latin name.
Like all alpine plants, Dryas octopetala has adapted to the harsh climate of the tundra, which
begins at a high elevation around 11,000 feet, past the point where trees can grow.
Because of the harsh, drying winds, plants are small and stay close to the ground.
Some common plant adaptations are hairy surfaces and waxy coatings, both of which provide physical
protection from the wind and also prevent the plant from drying out.
Mature Dryas has a waxy top of itâs leaf and a hairy stem and bottom of the leaf.
These plants survive the cold by staying short and growing in mats or mounds.
Not only is the air warmer closer to the ground, but being short will ensure that the plants
are covered by snow, which is the best insulator against extreme cold.
Alpine plants donât need to grow tall and with such a short growing season they invest
most of their energy into roots and reproduction.
Many species grow deep taproots which secure the plant in the ground, access deeper water
sources, and stabilize rocky mountain slopes.
In the cold tundra, soils are poor in nutrients because dead plants decompose very slowly.
However, the plants that grow here are adapted to grow in such low-nutrient conditions, and
excess nutrients would actually be detrimental to the whole ecosystem.
In the tundra, winters are long and summers are very, very short.
With only 40 to 70 days of summer and a short window of time to grow, plants use their time
and energy wisely.
Evergreen leaves (leaves that stay green the whole year) allow plants to begin photosynthesizing
as soon as the snow begins to melt.
Plants may take several years to flower, and will form their flower buds the previous year
in order to allow plenty of time for their seeds to ripen and maximize their chance
of reproducing.
For the majority of the year, plants stay dormant and use energy from the sugars stored
in their roots.
This growth cycle is just one of the many ways alpine plants are adapted to the long
winters and short summers of the tundra.
All of these complex survival adaptations may allow these plants to survive in one of
the most extreme environments, but they have not adapted well to the presence of humans.
The alpine is a major draw at Rocky, and millions of visitors come to visit every year.
These plants may seem tough, but as few as five footsteps can kill some alpine plants
and erode the soil.
So, if you have the privilege of visiting one of the most extreme, beautiful, and fragile
environments in the world, please stay on the trail and practice Leave No Trace techniques.
Once again thanks for watching and I hope to see you soon.
Take care.
Please donât eat the plants, thereâs so much green stuff out here.
Oh no.