One of the first flowers we noticed here is the national flower of Greenland.
Dwarf fireweed (Chamerion latifolium),
It's a hardy perennial flower that thrives in both the subarctic and arctic areas.
Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)
High in vitamins A and C, fireweed shoots provided a tasty spring vegetable.
Flowers yield copious nectar that yield a rich, spicy honey.
Narrowleaf hawksbeard (Crepis tectorum)
The leaves are edible cooked or raw.
It can also be used as a diuretic and laxative, or for skin conditions
Arctic lupine (Lupinus arcticus)
Good for erosion control and building soil don't eat it because it is probably toxic.
Lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula)
Used in traditional medicine for its purported anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties
Siberian Yarrow (Achillea alpina)
It is a traditional herbal medicine used for its detoxifying and analgesic properties
Nuuk
Iceland poppy (Oreomecon nudicaulis) or possibly Arctic poppies (Papaver radicatum).
Both are known for thriving in harsh, cold environments
Meadow buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
Is native to Alaska and Greenland but so common in other countries it is considered a weed.
Norwegian angelica (Angelica archangelica)
It has been used to treat a variety of ills and can be cooked in sugar to become a candied treat.
Ilulissat
Canada buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis) or a curl-leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius).
Pygmy stonecrop (Crassula connata)
A Rockfoil either (Saxifraga tridactylites or Saxifraga hypnoides)
Also known as mossy saxifrage, this species forms dense mats of foliage.
Alpine mouse-ear or alpine chickweed (Cerastium alpinum)
Mostly used as a rock garden ornamental.
Arctic or Downy Willow (Salix arctica or Salix lanata)
You can see how it is able to eek out a living in a slightly sheltered spot at the base of a cliff
Mountain crowberry, Crowberry, black crowberry, mossberry (Empetrum nigrum)
In Greenland, it's called Paarnaqutit.
Scheuchzer's bellflower, Fairy's Thimble or Alpine Harebell (Campanula scheuchzeri)
Dwarf birch (Betula nana)
The sap can be used to make beer, syrup, or wine, though it would probably take quite some time to collect enough.
Arctic bell-heather (Cassiope tetragona)
Its high resin content enables it to burn effectively, even when wet or frozen, making it a valuable fuel source in arctic environments
Alpine bistort (Bistorta vivipara,synonym Persicaria vivipara)
Most of this plant: leaves, seeds, bulbs and bulbils can be eaten raw or cooked.
Bristle Bent (Agrostis curtisii) or Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina) on the left and right of the picture .
And wavy hair-grass or wood fescue (Deschampsia flexuosa) in the center.
These are very tolerant of poor soils and are used as sheep forage.
Reindeer cup lichen (Cladonia rangiferina)
Reindeer lichen is edible, but crunchy.
It can be soaked with wood ashes to remove its bitterness, then added to milk or other dishes.
It is a source of vitamin D
Single-spored map lichen (Rhizocarpon disporum)
Interesting that its technical name in Latin means two spores but its common name correctly identifies it as single spored.
Sheltered areas have a surprising variety of plants.
