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Different patterns of biomass allocation were found in altitudinal populations of Acaena cylindrostachya R. and P. and Hypericum laricifolium Juess in the paramos of Merida State, Venezuela. Total individual biomass was positively correlated to elevation and plant age in H. laricifolium. In A. cylindrostachya, the environment at both extremes of the gradient negatively affected plant growth. Both species were sensitive to the dry season, although fluctuations in plant biomass allocation were more pronounced in A. cylindrostachya. Reproductive effort was relatively low in both species, but neither responded accordingly to a simple interpretation of r- and K-selection theory.