The Flora of Venabygdsfjellet & Ringebu

The bedrock of most of the mountain area is mostly rich in acids and thus short of lime/chalk, so the vegetation is not as rich as other areas. However there are some impressive mountain plants. For example, many are impressed by the ”tyrihjelm” which grows several feet high. Some areas have a more chalky bedrock and have a completely different flora. Around Ramshøgda, the impressive hummocks covered with Dryas Octopetala are a wonderful sight in such a high mountain area. In the spring there are a large variety of colourful small plants but you have to keep your nose to the ground. Halldis has an impressive collection of slides taken in the area and once a week holds a short talk about them

In the steep sided valleys there are several rarer plants for the keen botanist.
Venabygdsfjellet has one of the highest concentrations of lichen in Norway and almost every exposed stone is covered with a collection of yellow or green growths. There are many different types but are often collectively known as the “map” lichens. These give the bare mountains a green tinge throughout the year

There are several thousand different lichens, may also growing on the trees and undergrowth. “Reindeer Moss” is common throughout the area, both in the mountains and in the forests. It’s a lichen, not a moss, and is the staple food of the reindeer in the winter! The lichens are actually two parts; a fungus and an algae, who have joined forces because they get along better together than individually. The “map” lichen can be used as a dating device, as it immediately colonises newly exposed rocks and yet grows so slowly. Exactly how old is not known, but 4000 years old is possible on exposed stones 1000m above sea level.

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