Don's Blog Nakyoktok River II Flowers I

We are traversing the Northwest Passage late in the summer and most of the many arctic flowers have bloomed long before our arrival . As expected we did see some late bloomers.

These are all tundra flowers and most were at the mouth of the Nakyoktok River.

 

The most spectacular flower and the most common one during our stay was Lapland Rosebay (Rhododendron 

lapponicum). It has showy upward facing flowers, This rhododendron has larger blossoms and more stamen than the arctic azalea.

This is a Saxifrage (Saxifraga). It is an arctic perennial also known as rock foil. The leaves grow close to the ground. The plants thrive on rocky soil in the harsh arctic with a tough root system and penetrating taproots. 

The flowers have 5 petals and are bisexual (Hermaphroditic). What is a good blog without a little sex.

Draba nivalis is also known as Snow Whitlow Grass. A member of the mustard family, this plant is a perennial herb which branches into clustered rosettes forming small dense tussocks.The flower stem is covered with small stellate hairs. Each stem may have 5-10 flowers.

Mountain Aven is also called Dryas octapetala. In Rocky Mountain National Park it is called Alpine Aven. It is a small evergreen shrub that forms large colonies.

The flower, as you might guess, has eight petals.

The mountain aven is the official flower of the Northwest Territories. It is historically important to the Inuit.  The twisting of seed head marked the time of the year to move inland to hunt caribou.