Cool fact…
Heard Island and McDonald Islands are surface exposures of the Kerguelen Plateau which, at around 2 million square kilometres, is one of the largest oceanic plateaus in the world.

Plant

Images of the hardy vegetation that braves the harsh conditions to live at Heard Island and McDonald Islands…

Acaena magellanica
Azorella selago and pringlea antiscorbutica
Buttercup (Ranunculus crassipes)
Buzzy burr (Acaena magellanica)
Buzzy burr (Acaena magellanica)
Callitriche antarctica
Closed cushion carpet vegetation
Clumps of the grass Deschampsia antarctica
Clumps of the grass Poa kerguelensis
Colobanthus kerguelensis
Cushion plants (Azorella selago)
Fungus (Scutellinia sp.), a non-vascular plant
Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica)
Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica)
Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) flowers
Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) maturing fruits
Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) monostand
Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) slope
Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) with maturing fruits
Leaves of the cushion plant Azorella selago
Lichen
Lichen (Xanthoria sp.), a non-vascular plant
Montia fontana
Moss, a non-vascular plant
Moss (Brachythecium sp.)
Mossy feldmark vegetation
Open cushion carpet vegetation
Poa annua
Poa kerguelensis
The newly found daisy, Leptinella plumosa
Tussock Grass (Poa cookii)
Tussock Grass (Poa cookii)
Wet mixed herbfield vegetation
Wet mixed herbfield vegetation
This page was last modified on 28 February 2005.