Tundra / Alpine

Plant profile

Asplenium ruta-muraria

Asplenium ruta-muraria is a small fern from temperate regions across Europe, East Asia and North America. It can be found on calcerous walls.

Plant profile

Asplenium trichomanes

Plant profile

Drosera anglica

Drosera anglica, commonly known as the great sundew or English sundew, is one of the most striking carnivorous plants of European peatlands and bog pools. This species is distinguished by its long, narrow, strap-shaped leaves, which lie low or gently arch over the surface of wet peat or shallow water. Each leaf is densely covered with red glandular tentacles that secrete shimmering droplets of sticky mucilage. Drosera anglica is strongly associated with open, waterlogged habitats, often growing directly in shallow bog pools, wet hollows, or floating sphagnum mats. It prefers full sun, cool temperatures, and consistently saturated, acidic conditions. The species occurs across parts of Northern and Western Europe. In early to mid-summer, slender flower stalks rise well above the trapping leaves, carrying small white flowers.

Plant profile

Drosera intermedia

Drosera intermedia, commonly known as the oblong-leaved sundew or spoonleaf sundew, is a delicate yet highly specialized carnivorous plant native to European bogs, fens, and wet heathlands. Unlike the flat rosette of Drosera rotundifolia, Drosera intermedia typically forms a more upright, semi-erect growth habit. Its narrow, elongated leaves rise from the center of the plant and are densely covered with red glandular tentacles that exude sticky droplets of mucilage. These glistening traps efficiently capture small flying and crawling insects, which are then slowly enveloped by the leaf as it curls inward to digest its prey. Drosera intermedia favors constantly wet conditions and is often found growing directly in shallow standing water or saturated sphagnum moss. It is characteristic of open, sun-exposed bog pools and wet depressions, where competition from larger plants is minimal. In summer, the plant produces slender flower stalks bearing small white blossoms.

Drosera rotundifolia

Drosera rotundifolia

Drosera rotundifolia, commonly known as the round-leaved sundew, is one of Europe’s most iconic carnivorous plants and a true symbol of nutrient-poor bog ecosystems. This small perennial forms a flat rosette of round, spoon-shaped leaves, each covered with fine red tentacles tipped with glistening droplets of sticky mucilage. Drosera rotundifolia thrives in acidic, water-saturated environments such as raised bogs, fens, and peatlands. It is widely distributed across northern and central Europe, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, and extends across much of the Northern Hemisphere. In summer, it produces delicate white flowers on long stalks that rise well above the sticky leaves: an elegant adaptation that protects pollinators from becoming unintended prey. Despite its modest size, the round-leaved sundew plays an important ecological role as an indicator species of intact, undisturbed bog habitats. Its presence signals clean water, low nutrient input, and a finely balanced microclimate.

Common Pocket-moss

Fissidens taxifolius

Widely distributed moss across the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere (e.g. Europe and North America)

Plant profile

Hypnum cupressiforme

Hypnum cupressiforme is one of the most widespread and adaptable mosses in the world. It’s a classic “carpet-forming” pleurocarp moss and very relevant for naturalistic terraria, paludaria, and ecosystem-inspired displays. It is near-cosmopolitan and can be found across Europe, Asia, North & South America, Africa, and parts of Oceania. In temperate regions, it is extremely common, but it also tolerates cooler and slightly warmer climates. Because of its adaptability, it is often one of the first mosses to colonize new or disturbed habitats. There are multiple variants known under different names, including: Cypress-leaved Plaitmoss (var. cupressiforme) Plump Plaitmoss (var. heseleri) Great Plaitmoss (var. lacunosum) Supine Plaitmoss (var. resupinatum).

Ufermoos, Amblystegium riparium

Leptodictyum riparium

Global spread, except for Central Africa and South-Africa, Greenland, and India.

Plant profile

Pinguicula vulgaris

Pinguicula vulgaris, commonly known as the common butterwort, is a graceful carnivorous plant of cool, nutrient-poor wetlands and calcareous bogs across Europe. This perennial species forms a low, flat rosette of smooth, pale green to yellow-green leaves with a slightly greasy appearance. The leaf surface is covered with microscopic glandular hairs that secrete a sticky substance used to trap small insects. Once prey is caught, the leaf margins may gently curl inward, while digestive enzymes break down the insect and release essential nutrients, allowing the plant to survive in soils that are otherwise extremely poor. Pinguicula vulgaris occupies a different ecological niche from sundews. It typically grows in moist but not fully submerged habitats, such as bog margins, wet meadows, springs, and calcareous fens. It tolerates cooler temperatures and seasonal fluctuations in moisture, often experiencing cold winters and short growing seasons. In late spring to early summer, Pinguicula vulgaris produces elegant violet-purple flowers on slender stalks that rise well above the sticky leaves. The plant often retreats into a compact winter bud (hibernaculum).

Floating Crystalwort

Riccia fluitans

cosmopolitan liverwort found in and around temperate and tropical rivers, ponds, creeks, etc. it is naturally a floating plant, but can be grown emerged and submerged attached to rocks and wood.

Plant profile

Sphagnum capillifolium

Sphagnum capillifolium, commonly known as red bog moss, is a characteristic and visually striking moss of raised bogs and acidic peatlands across Europe. This species forms compact, dome-shaped hummocks composed of slender stems topped with tight, star-like capitula. Its coloration ranges from green and pink to deep red or burgundy, intensifying under high light and nutrient-poor conditions. Like other sphagnum species, Sphagnum capillifolium lacks true roots and relies on specialized hyaline cells within its leaves to absorb and retain vast amounts of water, creating a permanently moist microenvironment. Its slow decomposition contributes directly to peat formation, making it an important long-term carbon sink and a structural backbone of raised bog landscapes. The species prefers open, rain-fed (ombrotrophic) bogs, typically occupying slightly elevated hummocks rather than standing water. Photo by Bernd Haynold

Plant profile

Sphagnum palustre

Sphagnum palustre, commonly known as blunt-leaved bog moss or marsh sphagnum, is one of the most important foundation species of European bog and fen ecosystems. This soft, spongy moss forms dense carpets and hummocks composed of upright stems topped with rounded, star-like heads known as capitula. Its pale green to yellow-green coloration gives bog landscapes their characteristic luminous appearance. Unlike vascular plants, Sphagnum palustre lacks true roots; instead, it absorbs water directly through its leaves and specialized hyaline cells, which can store many times the plant’s own weight in water. Over time, the slow accumulation of dead sphagnum material forms peat, making this moss a key architect of peatland formation and long-term carbon storage. The species thrives in permanently moist to waterlogged habitats, including bog margins, wet heathlands, and fen-bog transitions.