Dwarf cornel [Cornus suecica] Coigach, 12/06/84 ~ This neat chaste Cornus, a dwarf shrub whose only native relation is the Dogwood, is common and widespread over the highlands, generally between 1000' and 3000', but is not so commonly noticed as it prefers to shelter beneath the predominant vegetation such as heather, cloudberry, blaeberry, etc. In summer these flowers occasionally catch the eye, and later its red berries are matched by its reddening leaves. The veined white 'petals' are really bracts, and the actual flowers constitute the tiny black-purple umbel cradled by them.
Roseroot [Rhodiola rosea] Wester Ross, 20/05/80 ~ These succulent blueish-green leaves, the plant's insurance against drought, are irresistible to grazing animals, but any damp shady crag or gully that provides refuge may well have a colony of Roseroot. The stems are said to give off a sweet roseate fragrance when cut, but I've never had the heart to verify this.
