Plants in the Mountain Ice Cap Biome

Alpine Phacelia

• Alpine Phacelia grows on rocky, open places in almost all of the mountains of the world. The plant grows to a height of 1 to 2 feet with 10 to 100 bell-shaped or bowl-shaped flowers clustered around the top of the stem. The leaves are covered with silky hairs and the flowers are blue, violet, or white in color.

Bear Grass

• Although Bear grass looks like a grass, it's a member of the lily family. The leaves are olive-colored with tooth-shape margins. The plants grow almost 3 feet tall. The flowers grow on stalks that can reach 6 feet. They are creamy white and shaped like saucers. Bear grass grows in open forests and meadows at low alpine elevations.

Moss Campion

• Moss Campion can be found in the lower and higher regions of the Alpine biome. The plant hugs the ground and features small leaves and a mounded shape to protect it from wind. The flowers are small and pink. It can be found in the Rocky Mountains and in the Alps in Switzerland.

Pygmy Bitterroot

• Pygmy bitterroot is only found in the mountains of western North America. It's a low-growing plant (4 to 6 inches) and spreads about 8 inches wide. The leaves are long and thin and the flower is small. Although it looks pink, the flower is white with dark pink veins running through the petals.

Wild Potato

• The wild potato is found in the Alpine biome of the Andes Mountains. The weather conditions are severe with heavy snowfall, strong winds, and extreme temperatures. This forces the potato plants to grow close to the ground. Short hairs on the leaves collect water from the clouds and insulate the leaves against frosts. Wild potatoes are an endangered species.

Lichens

• Three main types of lichens, which are a symbiotic association of algae and fungi, can be found in Antarctica, which is part of the Ice Cap biome. Crustose lichens form a thin crust on the object they grown on. Foliose lichens form leaf-like lobes, and fruticose lichens exhibit shrub-like qualities. Lichens have special adaptations that allow them to live in the Ice Cap. They can photosynthesize even when the temperature is minus-20 degrees Centigrade. They can survive long periods of drought in an inactive state, and they can grow beneath the snow. Many lichens can even absorb water vapor from snow and ice.