Cerastium alpinum Alpine Mouse-ear RR DDD N
It never ceases to amaze me how fertile this mountain's soil is. At the very summit of this Munro which is just short of 1220 m (4,000 feet) you can still find Alchemilla alpina (Alpine Lady's-mantle) and Cerastium alpinum (Alpine Mouse-ear) and a few other plants too. It isn't the height which prevents flowers from flourishing but the erosion of the footpaths on this very popular peak.
Cerastium alpinum starts to appear in the grass at the side of the path around Beinn Ghlass at around the 900 m height. From that height onwards it is present all over the saddle, the floor of the Corrie and right up to the summit.
Cerastium alpinum has a few southerly outposts in Snowdonia and the Lake district but the majority of records are from the highlands of scotland. There is none in Ireland.
Ben Lawers summit, Scotland 11th July 2005
Added on 14th July 2005, updated 27th November 2008, updated 12th March 2010, updated Se3 30th April 2010, updated 22nd May 2012