Flora of Svalbard

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There are 164 vascular plant species on the Norwegian arctic archipelago of Svalbard. This figure does not include algae, mosses, and lichens, which are non-vascular plants. For an island so far north, 164 species constitutes an astonishing variety of plant life. Because of the harsh climate and the short growing season, all the plants are slow growing. They seldom grow higher than 10 cm.

In some areas, especially in warmer valleys, the plants produce carpets of blossoms. Svalbard have been divided into four vegetation zones ([1]).

[edit] List of flowers

• Arenaria
  • Arenaria psuedofrigida - Fringed sandwort
• Arnica
  • Arnica alpina - Alpine Arnica
• Betula
  • Betula nana - Dwarf birch
• Braya
  • Braya purpurascens - Purplish Braya
• Campanula
  • Campanula uniflora - Arctic harebell
• Cardamine
  • Cardamine nymanii - Polar cress
• Carex
  • Carex misandra - Sooty sedge
• Cassiope
  • Cassiope tetragona - Arctic bell-heather
• Cerastium
  • Cerastium arcticum - Arctic mouse-ear chickweed
• Cochlearia
  • Cochlearia officinalis - Scurvy-grass
• Deschampsia
  • Deschampsia alpina - Alpine hair-grass
• Draba
  • Draba bellii - Yellow arctic whitlow-grass
  • Draba lactea - Lapland whitlow-grass
• Dryas
  • Dryas octopetala - Mountain avens
• Erigeron
  • Erigeron humilis - Black fleabane
• Eriophorum
  • Eriophorum scheuchzeri - Arctic cottongrass
• Luzula
  • Luzula arctica - Tundra wood-rush
  • Luzula confusa - Arctic wood-rush
• Mertensia
  • Mertensia maritima - Oysterleaf
• Minuartia
  • Minuartia rubella - Alpine sandwort
• Oxyria
  • Oxyria digyna - Mountain sorrel
• Papaver
  • Papaver dahlianum - Svalbard poppy
• Pedicularis
  • Pedicularis dasyantha - Woolly lousewort
  • Pedicularis hirsuta - Hairy lousewort
• Petasites
  • Petasites frigidus - Lapland butterbur
• Poa
  • Poa alpina - Alpine meadow-grass
• Polemonium
  • Polemonium boreale - Boreal Jacobs-ladder
• Polygonum
  • Polygonum viviparum - Alpine bistort
• Potentilla
  • Potentilla chamissonis - Bluff cinquefoil
  • Potentilla hyparctica - Arctic cinquefoil
  • Potentilla pulchella - Tufted cinquefoil
• Puccinellia
  • Puccinellia phryganodes - Cushioned saltmarsh grass
• Ranunculus
  • Ranunculus hyperboreus - Arctic buttercup
  • Ranunculus lapponicus - Lapland buttercup
  • Ranunculus nivalis - Snow buttercup
  • Ranunculus pedatifidus - Lobed buttercup
  • Ranunculus pygmaeus - Pygmy buttercup
  • Ranunculus suiphureus - Sulphur-coloured buttercup
• Salix
  • Salix polaris - Polar willow
• Saxifraga
  • Saxifraga aizoides - Yellow mountain saxifrage
  • Saxifraga cernua - Drooping saxifrage
  • Saxifraga cespitosa - Tufted saxifrage
  • Saxifraga flagellaris - Whiplash saxifrage
  • Saxifraga hieracifolia - Hawkweed-leaved saxifrage
  • Saxifraga hirculus - Bog saxifrage
  • Saxifraga nivalis - Alpine saxifrage
  • Saxifraga oppositifolia - Purple saxifrage
  • Saxifraga rivularis - Brook saxifrage
• Silene
  • Silene acaulis - Moss campion
  • Silene furcata - Arctic Lychnis
  • Silene wahlbergella - Northern catchfly
• Stellaria
  • Stellaria crassipes - Chickweed
  • Stellaria humifusa - Arctic chickweed
• Taraxacum
  • Taraxacum arcticum - Arctic dandelion
  • Taraxacum brachyceras - Polar dandelion

Mountain sorrel

Saxifraga flagellaris

Purple saxifrage