Flora of the Massif Central
The flora of the Massif Central is rich and diverse. This diversity can be explained by the massif's large surface area, its position at the intersection of different climatic zones, and its geological variety. The plants that can be found in the very wet western part are not the same as those found in the drier eastern part, and the difference is even greater with the species that can be found in the southern part, which are subject to marked Mediterranean influences. This spatial component is not the only one involved, since exposure, altitude, and the nature of the substrate are also determining factors. For example, there is the classic contrast between south-facing and north-facing slopes, and the differences in vegetation between acidic soils and basic soils. Although the altitude of the Massif Central is low compared to other mountain ranges such as the Alps or the Pyrenees, there is a clear range of vegetation, from Mediterranean vegetation to sub-alpine grassland. Generally speaking, in most of the Massif Central, there are four distinct levels of vegetation:
- a lowland level up to 500 m altitude ;
- a hill level ;
- a mountainous zone ;
- a subalpine zone.
Lowland
This level is relatively rare in the Massif Central, given its high plateaux. However, it is well present on the Limagne Plain and in the Roanne and Montbrison basins. These are intensively farmed areas that leave little room for nature. They also receive little water and are subject to a fairly marked semi-continental climate, with hot summers and cold winters. The characteristic plants of this environment include downy oak, Etruscan honeysuckle, sainfoin, meadow sage, red poppy, red clover, wild pansy, common milkwort, yarrow, Persian speedwell and many others that are not at all specific to the flora of Auvergne.In fact, only a few small volcanic peaks that are scattered across Limagne are of any ecological interest, especially on their southern slopes, where flora with Mediterranean affinities thrives. A number of interesting plants of clearly southern origin can be found here, such as Montpellier burclover, morning glory and Montpellier astragalus.
In the Cévennes, the plains are covered by Mediterranean shrubland, dominated by holm oak.
Hills
This level is more often forested than the lower level. The characteristic trees at this altitude are the Sessile Oak and the Pedunculate Oak, especially in the west of the massif. In the east, the Scots pine can be found. The flora accompanying these woody species is not particularly remarkable: the classic woodland flowers such as Lily of the Valley, Wood Anemone, common cow-wheat and Solomon's Seal can be found here. Among the slightly less common plants, one might come across the Stinking hellebore or Bear's foot, a plant that is easy to recognize and characteristic of basic soils. Generally speaking, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this level was the subject of massive reforestation, as in the Limousin region, but also in the south on certain steep slopes which tended to erode.There are, however, some areas of undoubted ecological interest, such as the Planèze of Saint-Flour, where relatively rare flowers of continental origin and Atlantic origin can be found in the same place. The same applies to the Puy-en-Velay basin, where it is possible to find segetal species of oriental origin, such as Conringia orientalis and Neslia apiculata. The Grands Causses region also has a flora of great interest due to its particular geology and its location, which is characterized by a strong spread of Mediterranean flora as well as the presence of plants from steppe and limestone mountain environments.
Also of note is the presence of a carnation endemic to the Massif Central: the granite carnation which, as its name suggests, grows on siliceous soil in the Cévennes and Vivarais up to an altitude of around.
Mountains
Forest
From an altitude of, the beech forest begins, with its highly characteristic flora. Beech dominates at this altitude, at least over a large part of the western half of the massif. In the east, particularly in the Haute-Loire, beech is replaced by Scots pine. In some cold, damp areas, fir is mixed in with beech and may even become dominant. At any rate, it is at the mountain level that the Massif Central begins to stand out from the lowlands that surround it for the great richness of its flora. The species found will vary depending on whether the woodlands have a basaltic subsoil or a granitic subsoil. In the former case, we will come across calcicole flowers such as the very precocious Snowdrop, Montane knapweed, February daphne, yellow thistle, Five- or Seven-leaved Cardamine or Cacaliaster Groundsel, and sometimes, paradoxically, calcifugous species. On granite, on the other hand, there are no calcicolous species. Acidophilous species include wood ragwort, Prenanthes purpurea, common cow-wheat, and small cow-wheat. However, the vast majority of flowers thrive in both types of soil: Sweet woodruff, Martagon lily, two-leaved cornflower, Snow-white wood-rush, common foxglove, Herb Paris, Austrian Doronicum, Alpine squill, Pyrenean squill, whorled Solomon's seal, and Large-flowered Calament. Climatic influences also play a part: for example, rare plants with an Atlantic affinity such as the Welsh poppy can be found in the forests of the western part of the massif.All these plants are found in the Beech zone or in hazel coppices, but some of them can also be found in the Scots Pine zone. On the other hand, since pine forests are lighter, they are home to more plant species, particularly shrubs such as Common Juniper and mosses.
Finally, foxglove and fireweed, pioneer species that sometimes colonize large areas, are very common in woodland cuttings, often accompanied by trees or shrubs such as Birch, Black Elder, Red Elder or, more commonly, Scotch Broom.
Open areas
In the Massif Central, the open spaces of the mountainous regions are all man-made. There are three main types: pastures on volcanic mountains, which are very rich both ecologically and agronomically; moors or grasslands on granitic or schistose soils, which are less interesting agronomically but very rich in species; and finally, hay meadows. Within heathland, several sub-categories can be distinguished: heathland with fern, purgative broom, callune or common bilberry. In addition, as moorlands are transitional areas between pasture and forest, they are often home to native tree and shrub species as diverse as birch, wild rose, hazel, hawthorn, rowan and whitebeam.The boundary hedges also include some interesting woody species such as Common Ash, Norway maple, Sycamore maple, blackthorn, raspberry and black birch, a shrub with white flowers that only grows at a certain altitude.
In terms of the herbaceous layer, grasses make up most of the plant cover, with a large number of species represented. The most common, particularly in acidic grassland and moorland, are orchard grass, tall wheatgrass, red fescue, common bentgrass, and stiff spurge. There are also a number of species that are more typical of high-altitude pastures or heaths, such as sweet vernal grass, wavy hair-grass, broadleaf bluegrass and field fescue, the latter being endemic to the Massif Central and found in broom heaths.
As for the other flowering plants, they are distributed to varying degrees in the three types of open spaces mentioned above, participating in various plant associations. For example, there are species that can grow equally well in all three areas: yellow gentian, dog's tooth, narcissus, elder-flowered orchid, European white hellebore, and mountain arnica; others prefer mown meadows: Spiked rampion, Bistort, Poet's daffodil, and others are more often found in unmown pastures : Petty whin, hairy greenweed, field gentian, Pulsatilla rubra, Meum athamanticum, Irish Euphorbia, Pyrenean Dandilion, Conyza-leaved hawksbeard, etc.
Finally, forming a transition between dry meadows and peat bogs, peaty meadows can occupy vast areas, especially on plateaux. This is the domain of the Tufted hairgrass and the purple moor-grass, plants accompanied by various species of rush and a few other characteristic plants such as Sneezewort, Devil's-bit scabious, and red-brown clover.
Wetlands
Wetlands can include a number of biotopes: riverbanks or lakeshores, megaphorbs and peat bogs.In megaphorbs, the plants are often tall and sometimes arranged in tight colonies: Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. vulparia, Garden monkshood, Siberian columbine meadow-rue, Bachelor's buttons, Adenostyles alliariae, Wild Angelica, Carduus personata, etc. These mountain plants can occasionally be found alongside plants such as Kingcup, Meadowsweet, or Valerian officinalis, which are common in the Massif Central in this type of ecosystem. As far as trees are concerned, the water's edge is often home to Black alder and various willow species, including some that only grow in the mountains.
In peat bogs, due to the lack of nutrients in the mats of sphagnum moss, the plants are often smaller and sometimes carnivorous. Many other species inhabit the peat bogs of the Massif Central, however, which is what makes them so ecologically valuable: In waterlogged depressions, for example, one will find purple marshlocks or water clover, and higher up, on mounds of sphagnum moss, cranberry, sheath-leaved cotton-grass, Bog-rosemary, marsh clubmoss, etc. can also be found here. One may also come across Gentian pneumonanthe, Marsh gentian, Red-brown Clover, Star Swertia or Globeflower. The Carex and Juncus genera are well represented, with rare species characteristic of high-altitude peat bogs such as Carex cespitosa, Carex chordorrhiza, Carex limosa, Carex pauciflora, Juncus alpinoarticulatus and Juncus filiformis. In the same family, one will also frequently find the tufted bulrush, particularly in acidic peat bogs.
The Massif Central also boasts a number of peatland plants that are relicts of the last ice age and are extremely rare in France, such as the impressive Ligularia sibirica, Rannoch-rush, dwarf birch and downy willow. There are also a number of stations of the very rare epiphytic orchid Hammarbya paludosa in certain peat bogs in the Lozère and Limousin regions.
Finally, we should mention a few interesting representatives of lake flora, including Isoetes, boreal aquatic plants that are very demanding in terms of water quality and very rare in France, found in a few lakes in the Cézallier and Aubrac regions, the floating water-plantain, which can be found at the edge of certain stretches of water and is protected at European level, and the dwarf water-lily, a rare boreal species in France, which can be found in a few cold-water lakes in the Auvergne.
Special conditions in the South of the massif
In the south of the massif, the specific nature of the soil and climate has resulted in a particular flora, with a higher rate of endemism than in the rest of the Massif Central. Beech forests are always present, particularly in the Cévennes, even on the southern slopes, which are exposed to rain from the Mediterranean. In the Causses, it is only found on the north-facing slopes, while the southern slopes and plateaux are mainly occupied by meagre pastures, favourable to small shrubs neglected by sheep, such as boxwood or juniper, sometimes with occasional oak and pine woods. These pastures are not homogeneous and are sometimes dominated by Poaceae;, or by other plants such as Breckland thyme, dwarf sedge or heath false brome.Because of the limestone substrate, the flora of the Causses differs markedly from that of the rest of the Massif Central. Plants native to steppe environments can be found here, such as Stipa pennata and Lathyrus pannonicus subsp. asphodeloides) and, more generally, dry grassland and/or limestone rockland plants such as the field eryngo, the "Thistle-barometer", the flax campanula, the chalk milkwort, etc.
There are also more specifically Mediterranean plants such as common kidneyvetch, Pyrenean flax, wallflower carnation, Orcanette, Montpellier astragalus, true lavender, etc.
Finally, the Causses are home to limestone mountain plants such as Laserwort, Daphne alpina, Daphne cneorum, Erinus alpinus, Hepatica nobilis and Campanula speciosa.
Plants strictly endemic to the Causses and Cévennes include Germandrée de Rouy, Pulsatilla vulgaris var. costeana, Short-stemmed cinquefoil, Coste's gentian, a subspecies of the Alpine Aster growing at altitude, an Orchid, the Causses Fly Orchid, Arabidopsis cebennensis, Saxifraga prostii, Saxifraga cebennensis, the long-leaved butterwort, the Sabline de Lozère, the slimy Columbine of Causses, the glowing Thyme, and so on. Certain other species are almost endemic to the region, such as spiked sandwort, Pectinated Centaurea or the Asarina lying down, a particular and easy-to-recognize plant, growing on siliceous soil, strictly localized in the mountains of the Cévennes and the eastern Pyrenees.
The Causses also boast a number of stations of the famous Lady's-slipper orchid and the only French locations of the Spring pheasant's eye.
Subalpine zone
Although this level occupies very little space in the Massif Central, it is nevertheless of prime ecological interest for the species it contains. This is the domain of moorland or sub-alpine grassland with a few stunted trees due to the climatic conditions, in particular the cold temperatures and violent, even very violent winds. Unsurprisingly, the largest areas of grassland are found in the two highest massifs: Monts Dore and Monts du Cantal. However, sub-alpine grasslands can also be found on the Forez crests, Mont Mézenc, Mont Lozère, and Mont Aigoual.The plants most frequently found in heaths or sub-alpine grasslands, particularly those in the Cantal and Monts Dore, are a certain type of grass but also, in less grazed areas, shrubby plants. They are accompanied by plants characteristic of mountain pastures, such as Alpine clover, Alpine plantain, great masterwort, Victory onion, Masterwort, Dyer's plumeless saw-wort, etc. Other species found in wetter areas include Rumex alpinus, Cicerbita alpina, Cicerbita plumieri and Adenostyles alliariae. The Lapland Willow can also be found here, sometimes hybridized with other willows.
More locally, plants such as Spring pasqueflower, which grows on the Plomb du Cantal, Mézenc and Mont Lozère, and Alpine Anemone can also be seen in the Monts Dore and the Monts du Cantal, Alpine avens, Spring gentian, Alpine Bartsia, Norwegian arctic cudweed, Androsace de Haller, Alpine fleabane, etc.
There are also a number of species at this level whose presence in the Massif Central is anecdotal but worth mentioning. These include the St Bruno's lily, a large lily with beautiful white flowers, of which there is a known station on Mont Aigoual and Mont Mézenc, the leucophyllus ragwort, whose only station in the Massif Central is also on Mont Mézenc, the Hawkweed Saxifrage whose only known location in France is in the Monts du Cantal and which usually grows in arctic regions as well as in the eastern Alps and the Carpathians, the Alpine coltsfoot, only recorded in the Monts du Forez, the Alpine snowbell, the Eightpetal mountain-avens on the northern slopes of the Cantal and Monts Dore, etc. All these plants are fragile and strictly protected by law, some being highly endangered.
There are areas that stand out in particular, such as Puy Mary and its surroundings, which contain a number of alpine species that are not found elsewhere in the Massif Central, such as Tozzia alpina, Saxifrage oppositifolia, Saxifraga androsacea and Pedicularis verticillata.
Finally, in terms of endemic species, the Sancy massif has a jasione that grows only on trachytic soil above : the Jasione daine. In the Monts Dore and Cantal, there is also a unique saxifrage: the Saxifrage de Lamotte, which grows in rock crevices above. In the same biotope, one can also come across an endemic plant with yellow flowers, the Auvergne Biscutella.
Threats and protection
Biodiversity in the Massif Central has declined slightly in recent years, but not to the same extent as in some neighboring regions. Only around thirty species that were once present have not returned since 1990, representing a very small proportion of the total flora. This relative impoverishment is essentially linked to the destruction of certain environments with a high heritage value, particularly wetlands, the intensification of agriculture and the ever-increasing presence of urbanized areas.There are also invasive species, often exotic, which can cause local problems by expanding to the detriment of native species. This phenomenon can also affect over-amended hay meadows, where we can sometimes observe the excessive development of neutrophilous species that compromise the quality of the fodder.
As for the consequences of global warming, these have not yet been studied in depth. However, initial observations suggest that the impact of climate change is not yet being felt to any significant degree. In most cases, sub-alpine species, which are the most sensitive to rising temperatures, have not been observed to rise in altitude. There are, however, a few species that have migrated to higher altitudes, but whose movement is difficult to link to global warming: This is the case, for example, of Pedicularis comosa, once found at altitudes of over and now only found at, or Hieracium aurantiacum, found in abundance in the eighteenth century in the entire massif and now confined to higher altitudes in the Cantal and Monts Dore.
Finally, in terms of protecting this natural heritage, the Massif Central boasts a large number of regional nature parks and, above all, the Cévennes National Park, designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. The Natura 2000 network also covers vast areas, particularly in the center of the massif. On the other hand, the number of nature reserves is low compared to other French regions, despite the massif's great ecological interest.
List of plants
The following is a list of some of the characteristic and easily observed plants of the mountain and sub-alpine levels of the Massif Central. Common species found at all altitudes have been deliberately omitted, along with plants that are too rare and therefore difficult to observe and unrepresentative. Even with these exceptions, the list is far from exhaustive.| Common name | Scientific name | Family | Natural habitat | Location | Altitude | Photographies | - |
| Garden monkshood | Aconitum napellus | Ranunculaceae | Watersides, megaphorbias | The entire massif but rare | >1 200 m | - | |
| Wolfsbane | Aconitum vulparia | Ranunculaceae | Watersides, megaphorbias | The entire massif. More common than monkshood. | >1 000 m | - | |
| Baneberry | Actaea spicata | Ranunculaceae | Beech forests | The entire massif except Causses | From 1 000 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Alliaria-leaved adenostyle | Adenostyles alliariae | Asteraceae | Megaphorbias | High mountains | >1 200 m | - | |
| Victory onion | Allium victorialis | Liliaceae | Alpine grasslands, beech forests. Protected plant. | Monts Dore, Cantal, Aubrac | Generally >1,400 m but can drop to 1,100 m | - | |
| Red cranberry | Vaccinium vitis-idaea | Ericaceae | Heaths, grasslands, peat bogs, pine forests | Mainly in the east of the massif | Subalpine, sometimes montane in the east. | - | |
| Lady's mantle | Alchemilla vulgaris | Rosaceae | Pastures, meadows, grassy areas | The entire massif | From 500 m to 1 800 m | - | |
| Alpine lady's-mantle | Alchemilla alpina subsp. saxatilis | Rosaceae | Pastures, on siliceous soil. | The entire massif | >1 000 m | - | |
| Bog-rosemary | Andromeda polifolia | Ericaceae | Peat bogs. Protected plant. | Monts Dore, Cézallier, Cantal, Forez, Aubrac | From 1 000 m to 1 400 m | - | |
| Spring pasqueflower | Pulsatilla vernalis | Ranunculaceae | Subalpine grasslands | Very limited | >1 500 m | - | |
| Alpine pasqueflower | Pulsatilla alpina | Ranunculaceae | Subalpine grasslands | Monts Dore, Cézallier, Cantal | >1 400 m | - | |
| Mountain arnica | Arnica montana | Asteraceae | Meadows on siliceous soil | The entire massif | >1 100 m | - | |
| Sandwort | Armeria arenaria | Plumbaginaceae | Dry grasslands, sandy areas | South and centre of the massif | 500 m to 1 350 m | - | |
| Alpine bartsia | Bartsia alpina | Scrofulariaceae | Pastures, snow-combes, scree slopes | Cantal | >1 300 m | - | |
| Alpine avens | Geum montanum | Rosaceae | Subalpine grasslands | Monts Dore, Cantal | >1 400 m | - | |
| Water avens | Geum rivale | Rosaceae | Wet meadows, banks of streams | The entire massif | From 1 000 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Siberian Hogweed or Lecoq's Hogweed | Heracleum sibiricum | Apiaceae | Various biotopes but preferably damp locations | Cantal, Mézenc, Aubrac, Cévennes | Generally above 1,000 m | ||
| Common hedgenettle | Stachys officinalis | Lamiaceae | Meadows, moors, on siliceous soil | The entire massif | From the plain to 1,600 m | - | |
| February daphne | Daphne mezereum | Thymélacées | Beech forests | The entire massif except Causses | From 700 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Large-flowered selfheal | Prunella grandiflora | Lamiaceae | Dry grasslands, moors, open woodlands | Cantal, Aubrac | 1 000 m to 1 400 m | - | |
| Large-flowered calamint | Calamintha grandiflora | Lamiaceae | Beech forests | Cantal, Aubrac | 1 000 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Marsh-marigold | Caltha palustris | Ranunculaceae | Streamside | The entire massif | 600 m to 1 200 m | - | |
| Common heather | Calluna vulgaris | Ericaceae | Granitic moorland | Granite mountains | Especially between 1,000 m and 1,500 m | - | |
| Canneberge | Vaccinium oxycoccos | Ericaceae | Peat bogs | All the massifs except Causses. Rare, protected in France. | >1 000 m | - | |
| Five- or seven-leaved Cardamine | Cardamine pentaphyllos ou heptaphylla | Brassicaceae | Beech forests on basaltic soil | Rare : Aubrac, Cantal | From 1 000 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Perennial cornflower | Centaurea montana | Asteraceae | Forests, rocks | Montagnes basaltiques | From 1 000 m to 1 800 m | - | |
| Hairy chervil | Chaerophyllum hirsutum | Apiaceae | Wet meadows and woods, stream banks | The entire massif | >500 m | - | |
| Marsh thistle | Cirsium palustre | Asteraceae | Wet meadows, marshes, peat bogs | The entire massif sauf Causses | <1 600 m | - | |
| Brook Cirse | Cirsium rivulare | Asteraceae | Waterside, very wet areas | Aubrac, Cantal, monts Dore, Velay | >1 000 m | - | |
| Yellow thistle | Cirsium erisithales | Asteraceae | High altitude beech forests on basaltic soil | Forez, monts Dore, Cantal, Aubrac | From 1 200 m to 1 600 m | - | |
| Purple marshlocks | Comarum palustre | Rosaceae | Peat bogs, marshes | In most mountain ranges | From 1 000 m to 1 700 m | - | |
| Spring crocus | Crocus albiflorus | Iridaceae | Pastures, high altitude grasslands | In most mountain ranges | >1 200 m | - | |
| Doronic of Austria | Doronicum austriacum | Asteraceae | Wet woods, ravines. | Monts Dore, Forez, Cantal, Aubrac | From 700 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Roundleaf sundew | Drosera rotundifolia | Droseraceae | Peat bogs | In most mountain ranges | >1 200 m | - | |
| Dogtooth violet | Erythronium dens-canis | Liliaceae | Pastures, moors | West of the massif, particularly Aubrac | >1 100 m | - | |
| Irish Euphorbia | Euphorbia hyberna | Euphorbiaceae | Pastures, moors | West of the massif, from Allier to Aubrac | >500 m | - | |
| Eyebright | Euphrasia officinalis subsp. rostkoviana | Scrofulariaceae | Pastures, moors, Nard grasslands | Granite mountains | >800 m | - | |
| Meum | Meum athamanticum | Apiaceae | Fresh altitude pastures | The entire massif | >700 m | - | |
| Snake's head fritillary | Fritillaria meleagris | Liliaceae | Occasionally in certain wet meadows | Mainly in the west | <1 300 m | - | |
| Downy hemp-nettle | Galeopsis segetum | Lamiaceae | Rocks, gravel, sandy soils. | The entire massif, especially in granite areas. | 500 m to 1 200 m | - | |
| Petty whin | Genista anglica | Fabaceae | Granitic moors | Margeride, Aubrac, Mont Lozère, Limousin | Mountain stage, sometimes lower in the west of the massif | - | |
| Pyrenean broom | Cytisus purgans | Fabaceae | Granitic moors | Margeride, Aubrac, Cévennes | Generally above 800 m | - | |
| Arrow-jointed broom | Genista sagittalis | Fabaceae | Grasslands, moors | The entire massif | >600 m | - | |
| Field gentian | Gentianella campestris | Gentianaceae | Pastures | Granite mountains and basaltic | >1 000 m | - | |
| Great yellow gentian | Gentiana lutea | Gentianaceae | Mountain meadows and grasslands | Almost everywhere | From 600 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Marsh gentian | Gentiana pneumonanthe | Gentianaceae | Wet moors, peat bogs | Just about everywhere | From 500 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Wood cranesbill | Geranium sylvaticum | Geraniaceae | Meadows, woodland edges, mountain grasslands | Montagnes d'Auvergne, Cévennes | From 1 000 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Knotted crane's-bill | Geranium nodosum | Geraniaceae | Woods | Cévennes, Velay especially. More scattered elsewhere in the massif. | From 500 m to 1 600 m | - | |
| Great Orpin | Hylotelephium maximum | Scrofulariaceae | Granite rock | Granite mountains | Mountain stage | - | |
| Great masterwort | Astrantia major | Apiaceae | Meadows, mountain grasslands | Chaîne des Puys, Monts Dore, Cantal | From 800 m to 1 600 m | - | |
| Common butterwort | Pinguicula vulgaris | Lentibulariaceae | Peat bogs, watersides | Monts d'Auvergne, Mézenc | From 1 200 m to 1 400 m | - | |
| Rock currant | Ribes petraeum | Saxifragaceae | Rocky woods | Monts d'Auvergne, Aubrac, Forez, Vivarais | >1 000 m | - | |
| Masterwort | Peucedanum ostruthium | Apiaceae | Megaphorbia, grassy slopes | Monts Dore, Cantal, Mont Aigoual | Above 1,400 m | - | |
| Pyrenean squill | Scilla lilio-hyacinthus | Liliaceae | Beech woods | Monts d'Auvergne | Mountain stage | - | |
| Jasione vivace | Jasione laevis | Campanulaceae | Rocky outcrops, dry grasslands on siliceous soil | All the massifs except Causses | >500 m | - | |
| Daffodil | Narcissus pseudo-narcissus | Amaryllidaceae | Meadows | All the massifs except Causses | >1 000 m | - | |
| Auvergne Knautie | Knautia arvernensis | Dispaceae | Meadows, paths and roadsides. | Monts d'Auvergne, Aubrac. | 500 m to 1 300 m | - | |
| Sow thistle | Cicerbita plumieri | Asteraceae | Woods and grasslands at high altitudes, banks of streams | Aubrac, Cantal, Forez | >700 m | - | |
| Alpine sow-thistle | Cicerbita alpina | Asteraceae | High altitude woods and grasslands, stream banks | Cantal, Monts Dore, Forez | >1 000 m | - | |
| Broad-leaved sermountain | Laserpitium latifolium | Apiaceae | Open woods, rocky outcrops | The entire massif | >700 m | - | |
| Common cottongrass | Eriophorum angustifolium | Cyperaceae | Peat bogs, marshes | Granite mountains | >1 000 m | - | |
| Pyrenean Liondent | Leontodon pyrenaicus | Asteraceae | Volcanic mountain pastures | Monts Dore, Cantal, Aubrac. | >1 000 m | - | |
| Martagon lily | Lilium martagon | Liliaceae | Beech woods, summit grasslands | Monts d'Auvergne, Cévennes | >1 000 m | - | |
| Snow-white wood-rush | Luzula nivea | Joncaceae | Open, damp woods | Cantal, Aubrac, Cévennes | >800 m | - | |
| Small cow-wheat | Melampyrum sylvaticum | Orobanchaceae | Beech and fir forests | Auvergne, Forez, Aubrac, Margeride, Cévennes | >1 000 m | - | |
| Wood mushroom | Melampyrum nemorosum | Orobanchaceae | Beech and fir forests | Mainly in the east of the massif | >800 m | - | |
| Bilberry | Vaccinium myrtillus | Ericaceae | Open woodland, moorland | The entire massif, abundant in the east | From 500 m to 1 800 m | - | |
| Poet's daffodil | Narcissus poeticus | Amaryllidaceae | Wet meadows | All the massifs | Especially from 500 m to 1 400 m | - | |
| Bog asphodel | Narthecium ossifragum | Nartheciaceae | Marshes, peat bogs | West of the massif | up to 1,300 m | - | |
| Seguier's pink | Dianthus seguieri subsp. pseudocollinus | Caryophyllaceae | High altitude grasslands and woods | All massifs except Causses | >700 m | - | |
| Fragrant orchid | Gymnadenia conopsea var. densiflora | Orchidaceae | Mountain pastures, moors | Monts d'Auvergne, Aubrac | >1 000 m | - | |
| Elder-flowered orchid | Dactylorhiza sambucina | Orchidaceae | Mountain pastures, moors | Relatively frequent except on dry ground | >1 000 m | - | |
| Spotted orchid | Dactylorhiza maculata | Orchidaceae | Rich, moist meadows, often on silica. | The entire massif | >500 m | - | |
| Greater broomrape | Orobanche rapum-genistae | Orobanchaceae | Purgative broom moorland | Aubrac, Margeride, Cévennes | >1 000 m | - | |
| Spiky thorn | Sedum hirsutum | Crassulaceae | Granitic rock | Granitic massifs | 500 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Grass-of-Parnassus | Parnassia palustris | Parnassiaceae | Mountain pastures, peat bogs | The entire massif | >1 000 m | - | |
| Common lousewort | Pedicularis sylvatica | Scrofulariaceae | Wet moorland | The entire massif | Up to 1,700 m | - | |
| Marsh lousewort | Pedicularis palustris | Scrofulariaceae | Peat bogs, wet moors | Just about everywhere except Monts Dômes | From 1 000 m to 1 400 m | - | |
| Leafy lousewort | Pedicularis foliosa | Scrofulariaceae | High altitude pastures | Monts Dore, Cantal | >1 200 m | - | |
| Mountain pansy | Viola lutea | Violaceae | Mountain pastures | Auvergne | >1 000 m | - | |
| False lily of the valley | Maïanthemum bifolium | Liliaceae | Beech forests | The entire massif | 800 m to 1500 m | - | |
| Siberian columbine meadow-rue | Thalictrum aquilegifolium | Ranunculaceae | Megaphorbia, wet meadows | Found here and there, more common in Haute-Loire and Lozère | >800 m | - | |
| Great burnet | Sanguisorba officinalis | Rosaceae | Peat bogs, wet meadows | The entire massif, common in Aubrac | >800 m | - | |
| Golden cinquefoil | Potentilla aurea | Rosaceae | Grasslands, rocks, open woods | Monts d'Auvergne, Aubrac | >1 200 m | - | |
| Purple Prenanthe | Prenanthes purpurea | Asteraceae | Beech woods | Auvergne, Aubrac, Cévennes | >1 000 m | - | |
| Lungwort | Pulmonaria affinis | Boraginaceae | Forests | The entire massif, endemic to south-west France and Spain. | Hill and mountain levels | - | |
| Red Pasque Flower | Pulsatilla rubra | Ranunculaceae | Pastures, dry moors | Eastern slopes of mountain ranges, endemic to the Massif Central. | >800 m | - | |
| Spiked rampion | Phyteuma spicatum subsp. occidentale | Campanulaceae | Beech woods, meadows | Present almost everywhere | >800 m | - | |
| Hemispheric Rapunzel | Phyteuma hemisphaericum | Campanulaceae | Mountain grassland | High mountains | >1,500 m | - | |
| Aconite-leaf buttercup | Ranunculus aconitifolius | Ranunculaceae | Wet meadows, stream banks | Present everywhere except in the Causses | >1 000 m | - | |
| Common bistort | Polygonum bistorta | Campanulaceae | Beech woods, meadows | Monts Dore, Cantal, Livradois, Forez, Aubrac, Cévennes | Generally above 1,000 m | - | |
| Mountain Reed | Calamagrostis arundinacea | Poaceae | Beech forests, on acid soil. | The entire massif | above 1,000 m | - | |
| Alpine rose | Rosa pendulina | Rosaceae | Open forests, bushes | Monts d'Auvergne, Mézenc, Aubrac | >900 m | - | |
| Starry saxifrage | Saxifraga stellaris | Saxifragaceae | Mountain pastures, high-altitude peat bogs | Monts d'Auvergne, Aubrac | >1 200 m | - | |
| Whorled Solomon's-seal | Polygonatum verticillatum | Liliaceae | Beech forests | Monts Dore, Cantal, Aubrac, Cévennes | >1 000 m | - | |
| Alpine squill | Scilla bifolia | Liliaceae | Meadows, woods | Plutôt à l'ouest | From the plain to 1,600 m | - | |
| Adonis ragwort | Senecio adonidifolius | Asteraceae | Moors on siliceous soil | Monts d'Auvergne, Livradois, Forez, Mézenc, Margeride, Aubrac. | 1 000 m to 1 700 m | - | |
| Wood ragwort | Senecio ovatus | Asteraceae | Mountain forests | Monts d'Auvergne, Forez | 500 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| Cacaliaster ragwort | Senecio cacaliaster | Asteraceae | Fresh woods on volcanic mountains | Monts d'Auvergne, Aubrac | >1 200 m | - | |
| Dyer's plumeless saw-wort | Serratula tinctoria subsp. monticola. | Asteraceae | Woods, moors | Auvergne, Aubrac, Margeride | >1 100 m | - | |
| European goldenrod | Solidago virgaurea | Asteraceae | Dry woods, clearings, rocky areas | The entire massif | Preferably above 500 m | - | |
| Alpine penny-cress | Noccaea caerulescens | Brassicaceae | High altitude pastures, on silica. | Monts d'Auvergne, Aubrac, Cévennes. | >1 000 m | - | |
| Brown clover | Trifolium badium | Fabaceae | Wet meadows and rocky areas | Monts d'Auvergne, Cévennes | >1 400 m | - | |
| Red-brown clover | Trifolium spadiceum | Fabaceae | Prairies humides | The entire massif | From 800 m to 1 600 m | - | |
| Alpine clover | Trifolium alpinum | Fabaceae | Wet meadows | Auvergne, Cévennes, Vivarais | >1 300 m | - | |
| Globeflower | Trollius europaeus | Ranunculaceae | Wet meadows | The entire massif sauf Causses | From 800 m to 1 500 m | - | |
| False helleborine | Veratrum album | Liliaceae | Wet meadows, pastures | The entire massif sauf Causses | >800 m | - |
Related articles
- List of protected plant species in Auvergne
- Massif Central
- Cézallier massif