Balsam bog, Falkland Islands

BALSAM BOG Bolax gummifera

  • balsam-bog

Balsam Bog is a cushion plant growing up to over 1 m (3.6 feet) high and over 2 m (6.3 ft) across. It is formed by tightly packed stems densly covered with leaves which decay towards the centre of the cushion. Tiny white flowers appear October/ November. Balsam bog is named for its resinous smell from the sticky white gum it oozes during the summer. Likely to to seen on dry dwarf coastal heath and in rocky mountainous areas. Abundant on East and West Falklands and also present on South America in Fuegia and Andean Patagonia.

 

 

 

 


Sources include: Falklands Conservation, A Field Guide to the Wildlife of The Falkland Islands and South Georgia - Ian J Strange, Plants of the Falkland Islands - Ali Liddle 2007,The Vascular Flora of the Falkland Islands- D. M. Moore, B.Sc., Ph.D, 1968
Photographic credits: olonophoto/shutterstock.com, Robert Maddocks
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