What are rupicolous plants?

Asplenium is a rupicolous plant

Image - Wikimedia / Marko Vainu

There are plants almost everywhere. With a little soil, mulch or even moss, and some moisture, there are plant species that thrive even in the gaps that open in the walls as the years go by.

Some of the most incredible are rupicolous plants, that is, those that grow in rocky or stony terrain. There are many more than you would expect, which makes them the most interesting to grow in gardens where the soil is not as sandy as we expected.

What are rupicolous plants?

The rupicolous plants are those that, as we said, live in the hollows or cavities of the rocks. They are also known as lithophytes, epilitics, or saxícola. These rocks are usually limestone, but they can also be made of granite. The roots have evolved to absorb as much water as they can, as long as possible, so that in the least favorable season for growth, such as during a drought, they have a better chance of survival.

And it is that, it is necessary to take into account that many times in these environments the conditions are extreme. Rock is usually very compact, and because of this, it is very difficult for herbs to grow on it, since very little land can remain on its surface. As a consequence of all this, this it is a place where moisture is lost very quickly, being more exposed to the sun's rays and the wind.

In fact, it is amazing that there are plants that can grow in such conditions. But there are, as we can see for example on the walls of the oldest houses, or on the cliffs.

Types of lithophyte plants

Thus, there are many types of lithophytic plants: orchids, carnivorous plants, bromeliads, araceae... Some of them are grown indoors, such as colocasia gigantea or the Dendrobium. But we are going to know them better, so that you can easily identify them when you want to get one or simply learn to recognize them in case you see any:

Asplenium septentrionale

Asplenium bifurcatum is lithophyte

Image - Wikimedia / Michael Becker

El Asplenium septentrionale (before Asplenium bifurcatum) is a fern native to Europe. In Spain we can see it in the Iberian Peninsula, growing in the hollows of granite rocks. It is a plant that does not exceed 15 centimeters in height, and with dark green fronds (leaves) that bifurcate 1 to 3 times, always two by two. Sori are brown, and spores that finish maturing in summer arise from them.

Colletogyne perrieri

El Colletogyne perrieri it is the only species in the genus Colletogyne. It is a herbaceous and tuberous plant endemic to Madagascar, where it grows on limestone. The leaves are heart-shaped, and the flowers are made up of a white spathe with purple spots, and a spadix with red spots.

colocasia gigantea

Colocasia gigantea is a herbaceous with large leaves

Image - Wikimedia / David J. Stang

Colocasia gigantea is a plant called Indian taro or giant elephant ear. It is an herb native to Southeast Asia. Reaches a height of 1,5 to 3 meters, and develops large, green leaves with well-visible nerves as they are lighter green.

Heterothalamus alienus

View of the Heterothalamus alienus is a perennial shrub

Image - Wikimedia / Silkmr

El Heterothalamus alienus, known as romerillo, is a shrub endemic to Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay that reaches a maximum height of 3 meters. The leaves are simple, threadlike, and green in color. Its flowers can be female or male, and they sprout during spring and summer. The fruit is a yellowish achene, which contains seeds of about 2 millimeters.

Pinguicula longifolia

The Pinguicula longifolia is a lithophyte carnivore

Image - Wikimedia / Xemenendura

La Pinguicula longifolia, known as grasilla or flytrap, is a carnivorous plant endemic to the central Pyrenees. It is an herb that with long leaves, up to 50 centimeters long, and green in color. They are also sticky, particularly for insects. The flowers are pale blue or lilac in color, and bloom in spring.

rupicola phoenix

La rupicola phoenix, or Cliff Date Palm, is a single-stemmed palm native to India and Bhutan. Reaches a height of 8 meters, and its leaves are pinnate, up to 3 meters long. The flowers are grouped in inflorescences, appearing between the leaves, and the fruits are yellow-orange drupes 2 centimeters long that contain a seed.

Platycerium bifurcatum

Platycerium bifurcatum is an epiphytic fern

Image - Wikimedia / Lijealso

El Platycerium bifurcatum is a fern known as deer horn or deer chub, and is endemic to the north of the Mimosa Rocks National Park, in Australia. Is it is a plant composed of green and fertile leaves up to 90 centimeters long, and other sterile of brown color and with a rounded shape that overlap.

tillandsia ionantha

The carnation of the air is an epiphytic plant

La tillandsia ionantha is a species known as air carnation. We will find it growing wild from Mexico to Costa Rica, wherever it can. Their roots are very short, since they develop on rocks where they hardly have any soil to 'cling to'. It is 6 to 8 centimeters tall, and its leaves are 4 to 9 centimeters long.. These are leathery, very thin, with a sharp tip, and are covered by a kind of whitish wax which serves as protection against the sun's rays.

Do you know other rupicolous plants?


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