Therefore, the plants that grow here either set their roots down between seams in the rock, or grow close to the ground. Trees such as Chinese juniper and Yushan azalea have evolved twisted trunks and ground-hugging creeping habits to adapt to this environment. Moreover, they grow slowly, with Chinese juniper said to take 2200 years to grow to a trunk diameter of one meter.
因此生長在這裡的植物，不是根部深入岩縫，就是緊貼地面生長，喬木類的玉山圓柏與玉山杜鵑為了適應環境，演化出盤虯扭曲、貼地匍伏的樹形，而且生長緩慢，據靜宜大學副校長、台灣生態保育界先驅陳玉峰估計，玉山圓柏要長成直徑一公尺的樹，需要二千二百年。