Plants

The flora of the Fichtelgebirge

The Fichtelgebirge also holds a number of plant species of regional and interregional
importance. Among them are forest plants, different kinds of moors and mountain
meadows, hedge plants, border plants, nutrient-poor grassland and kinds of the
lowland hey meadows in river flood plains. At and in still waters and streams, there
are rare plants, likewise in stone seas, at quarry walls and in clay and sand quarries.
The different soils, the altitude, structure and form of utilization characterize the
symbiotic communities. This includes even glacial relics, such as the moor pine.

In the Fichtelgebirge Nature Reserve, the knowledge about the plants growing is
excellent. Botanists have observed and documented the growth of the plants over
years and supplemented the lists of flora. One file for native wild plants with grasses
and herbaceous plants currently ends at almost 500 species listed in the district of
Wunsiedel. Add to that the wooded plants, invasive species and wild cultural plants.
Some newly discovered thermophilic shrub also reflects global warming.

As is the case all over Bavaria, the loss of plant species is also noticed in the
Fichtelgebirge. Orchid species have been lost, arnica meadows are very rare and are
often protected by area protection regulations; for individual species, such as the little
cat’s paw, the Sequier’s Pink, the glossy water lily (Nymphaea candida) or the winter
heath, species protection measures are organized by the Fichtelgebirge Nature
Reserve as landscape conservation organization and other organizations. Nature
conservation projects of the local nature conservation organizations preserve
butterwort habitats, mountain meadows full of wild orchids, low moorland meadows
with devil’s bit etc. In addition, the Bavarian support programmes are often used to
allow extensive grassland maintenance of the nature conservation authorities which
support the preservation of our typical flowering meadows of the lower mountain
ranges.