The glorious colours and the diversity of shapes of Alpine plants delight every alpinist and hiker. Those who take time to look closer at the plants and their dwellings will be rewarded with the discovery of the interesting relationships between plants and their environment, and will enjoy their ever varying appearance and multitude of forms. This SAC guidebook helps the reader to understand the diverse aspects of plant life in the Alps. It also answers questions such as: which faraway lands the Alpine plants come from? Why is the plant cover near Zermatt different from that high up at the foot of the Eiger? How do some Alpine plants still manage to grow above 12.000 ft, when others do not even reach the treeline? To help the recognition of species, the book has 480 colour photographs, mostly taken in their natural invironment. In addition, about 75 species are presented in ink drawings. A practical fieldguide for amateur botanists, it is also an important reference work for all those with an interest in alpine plants as well as for students.