Plants and Karst Topography
Karst supports vegetation.
Questions:
Does Karst vegetation have unique attributes?
Are there endemic plants restricted to Karst?
Are there Karsistic plant associations at the community level?
There is very little research answering these questions. Most research has focused
on the history of formations.
Similarities in vegetation occur between serpentine and limestone endemics. Both
offers unique flora., although few endemics of limestone are found on serpentine.
Closely related plants occur on either limestone or serpentine.
In terms of temperate Karst, there is some information relating to the Balkan
Peninsula. There is a Beech forest on limestone that is considerably dwarfed, long
with considerable rocky patches of limestone and herbaceous plants such as sedums
and weeds. In the cracks where Earth has built up, you can often find oaks, junifers
and other shrubs (Rhamnus) and trees as well. Heath plants can also occur there as
well. There is low endemism here compared to other ecostems in the region.
In Cuba, the cone and tower karst reveals high endemism with 15 endemic species.
Here serpentine meets limestone, therefore some of the species overlap on both
substrates.
Bombacopsis cubensis
Picture of the two serpentine and limestone plants:
Agave shaferi
In Jamaica, 105 endemic species exist. Locally called “Cockpit” (dolinas) terrain
because of the circular depressions that can reach 500 ft deep. They are caused by
sinkhole depressions from underground streams.
Marble Mountains
In dry, low elevations, you’ll find mixed evergreen forests of tanbark oak, madrone
and Douglas fir. At very high elevations, red fir and mountain hemlock dominate.
There are many endemic plants also including the wing-seed draba of the mustard
family, found only in the vicinity of Marble Valley and King’s Castle. The mountain
lady’s slipper (Cypripedium montanum) and Scarlet Fritillary (Fritillaria recurvo)