By my count I’ve written about 47 different plant species I found in Iceland, and guess what? There are almost 30 more. But I don’t have good pictures of most of them, and some IDs are in doubt, so I think I’ve just about exhausted my material for blog posts. And I do want to get back to posting about the Maryland piedmont.

So for all my fellow botanerds, here’s a list of my Icelandic finds, arranged by family. An asterisk (*) indicates either ID in doubt or unsure of taxonomic status.

Apiaceae (parsley family)
Angelica archangelic  garden angelica
Anthriscus sylvestris*  cow parsley

Asteraceae (daisy family)
Achillea millefolium  yarrow
Erigeron borealis  alpine fleabane
Erigeron uniflorus  oneflower fleabane
Hieracium species  hawkweed
Hieracium thaectolepium*   hillside hawkweed
Taraxacum species  dandelion
Tripleurospermum maritima ssp. phaeocephala  sea mayweed

Boraginaceae (borage family)
Mertensia maritima  oyster plant
Myosotis arvensis  field forget-me-not

Brassicaceae (mustard family)
Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. petraea  northern rock-cress
Cardamine nymaii*  lady’s smock
Cardamine pratensis*  cuckoo flower
Draba nivalis  snow whitlowgrass
Draba norvegica*  rock whitlowgrass

 

 

Caryophyllaceae (pinks family)
Arenaria norvegica arctic sandwort
Cerastium alpinum  alpine mouse-ear
Cerastium nigrescens*  arctic mouse-ear
Silene acaulis  moss campion
Silene dioica  red campion
Silene suecica  alpine catchfly
Silene uniflora  sea campion

Crassulaceae (stonecrop family)
Rhodiola rosea  roseroot stonecrop
Sedum annuum  annual stonecrop
Sedum villosum  hairy stonecrop

Cyperaceae (sedge family)
Eriophorum angustifolium  cottongrass

Equisetaceae (horsetail family)
Equisteum arvense  field horsetail
Equisetum palustre  marsh horsetail
Equisteum pratense  shady horsetail
Equisetum variegatum  variegated horsetail

Ericaceae (heather family)
Calluna vulgaris  heather
Empetrum nigrum  crowberry
Harrimanella hypnoides  mossy mountain heather
Kalmia procumbens  trailing azalea
Vaccinium myrtillus  bilberry
Vaccinium uliginosum  bog bilberry

Fabaceae (pea family)
Lupinus nootkatensis  Nootka lupine

Geraniaceae (geranium family)
Geranium sylvaticum  woodland cranesbill

Juncaeae (rush family)
Juncus or Luzula species  rush

Lamiaceae (mint family)
Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus  creeping thyme

Lentibulariaceae (bladderwort family)
Pinguicula vulgaris  common butterwort

Onagraceae (evening primrose family)
Chamerion latifolium  arctic riverbeauty
Epilobium anagallidifolium  alpine willowherb

Orchidaceae (orchid family)
Dactylorhiza maculata  heath spotted orchid
Dactylorhiza viridis  frog orchid
Platanthera hyperborea  northern green orchid

Orobanchaceae (broomrape family)
Bartsia alpina  velvetbells

Papaveraceae (poppy family)
Papaver radicatum  arctic poppy

Plantaginaceae (plantain family)
Veronica fruticans  rock speedwell

Plumbaginaceae (leadwort family)
Armeria maritima  sea thrift

Polygonaceae (knotweed family)
Bistorta vivipara  alpine bistort
Oxyria digyna  mountain sorrel
Rumex acetosa  common sorrel

Ranunculaceae (buttercup family)
Caltha palustris  marsh marigold
Ranunculus acris*  meadow buttercup
Ranunculus species  buttercup

Rosaceae (rose family)
Alchemilla alpina  alpine lady’s mantle
Alchemilla glomerulans  clustered lady’s mantle
Dryas octopetala  mountain avens
Fragaria vesca  strawberry
Geum rivale  water avens
Potentilla anserina  silverweed
Potentilla crantzii  alpine cinquefoil

Rubiaceae (madder family)
Galium boreale  northern bedstraw
Galium normanii  slender bedstraw
Galium verum  lady’s bedstraw

Salicaceae (willow family)
Salix arctica  arctic willow
Salix herbacea  dwarf willow
Salix lanata  woolly willow
Salix myrsinifolia or S. phylicifolia*  boreal or teal-leaf willow

Saxifragaceae (saxifrage family)
Saxifraga cespitosa  tufted saxifrage
Saxifraga hypnoides*  mossy saxifrage
Saxifraga rosacea  Irish saxifrage

Tofieldiaceae (no common name that I could find)
Tofieldia pusilla  Scottish asphodel

Violaceae (violet family)
Viola canina  heath dog violet
Viola tricolor  wild pansy
Viola species  violet

Woodsiaceae (cliff fern family)
Gymnocarpium dryopteris  oak fern

 

#yowyow – street art on a building in Þingeyri

<— click on this image, it’s worth seeing it larger

nicely sums up how I feel about Iceland