''Subularia monticola'' is one of the water loving, annuals of the genus ''

Subularia ''Subularia'' is a genus of plants in the family Brassicaceae. ''Subularia'' species are annual herbs that grow in moist or even flooded soils. There are only two species of the genus: ''Subularia aquatica'', which is widespread in North America ...

'' in the family Brassicaceae. It lives in the cool, moist high elevations of

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and

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Description

''Subularia monticola'' forms cushions or mats in moist areas in upland

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s and

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland, nowadays, generally ...

, such as the edges of ponds and bogs, or muddy footpaths, though it may grow underwater in some cases. It can form mats in permanently wet areas. It is a short-lived plant that lacks leaves in its early development, instead having just a stem and taproot. It grows to 5 to 16 centimeters (2 to 6 inches). It produces tiny white flowers.

Distribution

''Subularia monticola'' is an African high-altitude plant, growing at altitudes of around 2,750 to 4,750 meters (9,000 to 15,600 feet) above sea-level. Some examples will serve to demonstrate the range of environments in which it thrives: On Mount Kilimanjaro, which is mostly arid, ''Subularia monticola'' grows in

oases In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

made by rain or melted snow collecting in depressions, where it forms continuous carpets of vegetation alongside '' Eriocaulon volkensii'', ''

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...

'' and '' Bulliarda elatinoides''. On

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (), Nelion () and Point Lenana (). Mount Kenya is locat ...

, cracks formed by daily freezing and thawing of ice provide a refuge for ''Subularia monticola'' seedlings. It also forms short, dense mats on the occasionally flooded mudflats around Lake Kimilili, a lake 4150 meters above sea-level on the

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

border.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q7632293 Brassicaceae Flora of Africa Taxa named by Alexander Braun Taxa named by Georg August Schweinfurth