Brian Pegg Near Mt. Fee. The treeless alpine tundra has a very short growing season and low degree soil development. True alpine areas are characterized by very steep slopes with rock outcrops. Cliffs, large boulders, rock fields, talus and scree slopes create an unstable landscape. Wet runnels, gullies and avalanche tracks are common.
Plant cover is sparse and discontinuous.
Only saxifrages, ferns, buttercups, grasses, sedges, lichens and bryophytes grow in these areas. The Heath community of plants are characterized by numerous types of dwarf-like shrubby evergreen member of the heather family. The low growing plants create a mat like growth that has a spongy feeling underfoot. True meadows are the most picturesque of sub-alpine plant communities. Dominated by species of herbs, this plant community is in full bloom during late summer months.