Vegetation patterns on bare granite at Huashan, China

Huashan, the 'flower mountain', is located near Xi'an (China). It is made up of granite which allows the formation of very steep slopes that characterize the mountains. On the strongly jointed granite, vegetation succession proceeds from lichens over shrubs to trees. These form amazing patterns on the sheer rock surfaces. The geomorphic development of the mountain range might be interlinked with these patterns and associated vegetation dynamics, which might influence rock slope stability.