Diapensia lapponica Diapensia RRR DDD N
Diapensia lapponica occurs on poor nutrient ground often on high mountain tops throughout the world. In the UK it is known only from this site where there are hundreds of clumps of the fine-leaved plant covered in large flowers which don't last long. I had believed from the botanical myths which surround this recent discovery (it was first found in 1951) that there was just one large flowering lump of it and that it was amongst the rarest plants in the UK but having seen the extent of the coverage of this quartz plateau at the top of Fraoch-bheinn it isn't as at risk as I had thought.
There are no tracks leading to the summit of this Scottish mountain and the round trip took the navigating skills of an expert mountain walker leading a party of eight, was seven and a half miles round trip measured on the flat, needed an ascent from sea-level of over 2,500 feet and about eight hours to complete the round trip in excellent weather. This was the toughest botanical climb I've made in the UK and I wouldn't advise anyone try it without GPS, a compass, a good map and preferably an experienced local guide. One local Scottish Naturalists society had recently failed to find this plant even though they successfully climbed the mountain and had the correct grid reference.
On Fraoch-bheinn there are many "cushions" of this compact plant with its handsome white/cream flowers covering bare rock where it cannot possibly get much in the way of nutrients. The theory is that this allows it to colonise sites without competition and that it gains some nutrients blown in by the wind. It grows on top of Mount Washington in the States for instance where wind speeds of more than 230 mph have been recorded.
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Fraoch-bheinn, Scotland 7th June 2006
Added on 9th June 2006, updated 12th December 2008, updated 28th March 2010