Herbfields
Herbfields occur over a range of altitudes from lowland plains to the alps and are dominated by small
herbaceous
plants, with various factors precluding the establishment of shrubs and trees.
In this section we will look at examples of Australia's alpine
herbfields. The dominant environmental factor determining this vegetation type is temperature.
Alpine herbfields may be categorised according to the height of the dominant species,
and in Australia short and tall alpine herbfields are recognised.
Tall alpine herbfield often occurs in valleys where cold air drainage inhibits establishment of trees.
