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Cassiope tetragona | |
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Conservation status | |
Secure (NatureServe) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Genus: | Cassiope |
Species: | C. tetragona |
Binomial name | |
Cassiope tetragona (L.) D.Don | |
Subspecies | |
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Synonyms | |
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Cassiope tetragona (common names include Arctic bell-heather, white Arctic mountain heather and Arctic white heather) is a plant native to the high Arctic and northern Norway, where it is found widely.
Growing to 10–20 cm in height, it is a strongly branched dwarf shrub. The leaves are grooved, evergreen, and scale-like in four rows. Pedicels are long and arched. The plant bears bell-shaped, solitary flowers usually with white and pink lobes and pink anthers. The flower stalks and sepals are red, but the petals may also be yellowish-white. The anthers can also be brownish-yellow and flower stalks and sepals yellowish-green.
It grows on ridges and heaths, often in abundance and forming a distinctive and attractive plant community.
In Greenland, indigenous peoples use the plant as important source of fuel. Because of high resin content, it burns even when wet.
The plant can also be used in cooking. Canadian chef Louis Charest used arctic heather as a smoked herb for the 2016 Three Amigos Summit state dinner.
See also
References
- NatureServe (6 December 2024). "Cassiope tetragona | NatureServe Explorer". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ "Cassiope tetragona (L.) D.Don | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- John 'Lofty' Wiseman SAS Survival Handbook, Revised Edition p. 72; William Morrow Paperbacks (2008) ISBN 978-1875900060
- Stone, Laura (27 June 2016). "Rideau Hall chef cooking up a coast-to-coast dinner for Three Amigos summit". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
Taxon identifiers | |
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Cassiope tetragona |
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Andromeda tetragona |