krummholz
1
9.9
- noun
- Specialized
- The landscape transformed dramatically as patches of krummholz appeared, where the trees struggled to survive at the alpine zone.
Examples
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The mountain boiled with demonic energy, glazed with flickering broken-cloud light; the wind combed the grass and drew from the damaged krummholz and slit rock a bestial drone.
Fiction book (2000) -
Scattered trees twisted by wind and severe cold make up krummholz, the boundary between coniferous forest and alpine tundra.
Academic text (2011) -
A spruce forest surrounds it and climbs halfway up the mountain flanks before giving way to krummholz and bare gray rocks.
Fiction book (1998) -
The forest began to thin, and we emerged into a rather open area studded with krummholz, those dwarfed, twisted trees whose limbs appear flag-like owing to strong, directional winds.
Academic text (2011) -
As we climbed higher, the forest transitioned into stunted trees known as krummholz, shaped by the relentless winds and harsh conditions.
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We noticed the boundary between the lush forest and the barren rocks marked by twisted formations of krummholz adapted to extreme weather.
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word krummholz comes from German parts krumm ('crooked' or 'bent') and Holz ('wood' or 'tree'). So, krummholz literally means 'crooked wood' and is used for the twisted, low trees and shrubs that grow at the windy edge of mountain forests.