Tour of the Oisans: The GR54. Kev Reynolds

Чтение книги онлайн.

      Boggy regions are advertised by mattresses of cottongrass. The prized edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum) can sometimes be found in limestone areas, while the beautiful dwarf rhododendron, the alpenrose, R. ferrugineum, covers large sections of open hillside up to 3000m and flowers with a blazing hue from late June to August. Extravagant stands of the feathery asphodel, Asphodelus albus, may be found on meadows and rocky slopes between 900m and 2400m, along with the pure white St Bruno's lily, Paradisea liliastrum, to create what may appear from a distance as a carpet of snow.

      Mosses, ferns and lichens add to the variety but there are, of course, many hundreds more, and anyone wishing to learn about the flora of the Alps will find several useful field guides in the bookshops of Bourg d'Oisans.