Mineral nutrition of sub-alpine Australian vegetation under nutrient deficiency depends on lifeform

•One feature of the perennial lifestyle of woody plants is nutrient storage in wood and bark.•This study aimed to test whether the formation of a stem is required to make plant nutrition independent of soil conditions.•Mineral nutrition and a set of physiological parameter of E. pauciflora and P. alpestre were determined.•Formation of a stem is a necessity for long-lived plants to enable growth largely independent of soil P and N availability.