Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows
Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows
The Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows ecoregion lies entirely within China, stretching roughly 1,500 km across the central Tibetan Plateau from the Yarlung Tsangpo (Tsangpo) river valley near Lhasa northeast to the Qilian Mountains of Gansu, almost all of it above 4,000 m. Its vegetation grades from moist alpine sedge meadows dominated by Kobresia and Carex (including black spike sedge) in the southeast toward drier alpine steppe in the northwest, with juniper and dwarf rhododendron on sheltered north-facing slopes and shrubs such as Potentilla fruticosa, Caragana, and dwarf willow in the valleys. The climate is harsh and continental: the annual mean temperature is below freezing everywhere and even the warmest month averages only 8 to 10 degrees Celsius. The meadows sustain large native mammals such as Tibetan gazelle, kiang (Tibetan wild ass), white-lipped (Thorold's) deer, and bharal (blue sheep), with snow leopard, wolf, and brown bear reported as likely predators, though these populations are declining under pressure from intensified livestock grazing and wild yak is now gone from all but the remotest corners. For cold-climate gardeners, the region's native shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa), Caragana, juniper, and rhododendron are familiar hardy ornamentals.
RESOLVE 768
Palearctic
105,098 sq mi
Montane Grasslands & Shrublands
Landscape type
Montane Grasslands & Shrublands
Plant region
Palearctic
Region footprint
105,098 sq mi
Habitat pressure
Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 1)
Source & care
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Use this as the broad planting pattern for the region: High-elevation grasslands, meadows, and shrublands above the treeline or in mountain basins, including alpine and páramo systems. Cool temperatures, intense sunlight, and specialized, often endemic flora characterize them. For garden decisions, pair that context with the plant list below, then narrow by your site's light, water, soil, and mature-size constraints.
Plants that can handle this region
A climate-fit shortlist from Plotwright's catalog. Start with the reliable fits, then use each plant page to check light, water, soil, mature size, and local availability.
Showing 387 of 387 climate-fit plants for this region.
Planting collections
Finished planting recipes where every member can handle this region's climate range. The fit badge uses the collection's most sensitive plant, so a resilient collection is a safer starting point than any single standout.
Starter kits for this region
Generated from catalog plants that already pass this region's climate fit gate, with native matches sorted first when the catalog has enough coverage.
Sunny pollinator border
A sunny, wildlife-forward planting assembled from plants that pass this region fit gate.
Native fit: 0/6
Climate resilient: 6/6
Wildlife links: 23
Host/specialist links: 6
Forage/pollination links: 24
Shelter links: 4
Shade-edge planting
A softer edge kit for woodland margins, porches, and mixed-light garden edges.
Native fit: 0/6
Climate resilient: 6/6
Wildlife links: 23
Host/specialist links: 6
Forage/pollination links: 24
Shelter links: 4
Resilient shrub layer
A woody structure layer led by plants that fit both current and projected regional conditions.
Native fit: 0/6
Climate resilient: 6/6
Wildlife links: 21
Host/specialist links: 7
Forage/pollination links: 21
Shelter links: 4
Similar planting regions
Browse other regions in the same biome. Their plant lists can suggest species and combinations worth comparing.
Where this ecoregion reaches
The countries, US states, and Canadian provinces this ecoregion touches, from a spatial join of its RESOLVE polygon against Natural Earth boundaries.
Countries
Educator packet
Region packet
Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows educator packet
The Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows ecoregion lies entirely within China, stretching roughly 1,500 km across the central Tibetan Plateau from the Yarlung Tsangpo (Tsangpo) river valley near Lhasa northeast to the Qilian Mountains of Gansu, almost all of it above 4,000 m. Its vegetation grades from moist alpine sedge meadows dominated by Kobresia and Carex (including black spike sedge) in the southeast toward drier alpine steppe in the northwest, with juniper and dwarf rhododendron on sheltered north-facing slopes and shrubs such as Potentilla fruticosa, Caragana, and dwarf willow in the valleys. The climate is harsh and continental: the annual mean temperature is below freezing everywhere and even the warmest month averages only 8 to 10 degrees Celsius. The meadows sustain large native mammals such as Tibetan gazelle, kiang (Tibetan wild ass), white-lipped (Thorold's) deer, and bharal (blue sheep), with snow leopard, wolf, and brown bear reported as likely predators, though these populations are declining under pressure from intensified livestock grazing and wild yak is now gone from all but the remotest corners. For cold-climate gardeners, the region's native shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa), Caragana, juniper, and rhododendron are familiar hardy ornamentals.
Realm
Palearctic
Dominant biome
Montane Grasslands & Shrublands
Approximate area
105,098 square miles
States / provinces
Not recorded
Climate descriptor
Not recorded
Classroom prompts
- Which climate and biome facts explain why this region supports its characteristic plants?
- How do native-plant and wildlife-support claims differ from a species-presence claim?
- Which source-backed facts would you cite before using this region in a classroom map activity?
Use the Sources & citations section below for page citation styles and region source links.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or regional planting notes that use this Plotwright page. To cite the underlying ecoregion framework or a specific editorial profile, use the source cards below.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows (Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows). Retrieved 2026, October 9, from https://plotwright.com/regions/resolve-768
Sources for this region
This page cites Plotwright first for the compiled view, then lists the upstream framework, climate, and editorial source pages so readers can cite the original material directly.
RESOLVE 2017 Terrestrial Ecoregions (Dinerstein et al.)
Primary ecoregion framework































