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Salix arctica, the Arctic willow, is a tiny creeping willow (family Salicaceae). It is adapted to survive in Arctic conditions, specifically tundras.
Despite its small size, it is a long-lived plant, growing extremely slowly in the severe arctic climate; one in eastern Greenland was found to be 236 years old.
Hybrids with Salix arcticola and Salix glauca are known.
It also occurs further south in North America on high-altitude alpine tundra, south to the Sierra Nevada in California and the Rocky Mountains in New Mexico. It also occurs in Xinjiang, China.Salicaceae of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Salix arctica Flora Europaea: Salix arctica
It is the primary host plant and food source for the Arctic woolly bear moth ( Gynaephora groenlandica).
Both the Gwich’in and Inuit in the Bathurst Inlet area were known to eat parts of the plant, which is high in vitamin C and tastes sweet. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago , S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L. Consaul, C.L. McJannet, L.J. Gillespie, R.L. Boles, G.W. Argus, J.M. Gillett, P.J. Scott, R. Elven, M.C. LeBlanc, A.K. Brysting and H. Solstad. 1999 onwards. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 29 April 2003. . One young leaf contains 7 to 10 times more vitamin C than an orange. The inside of the young shoots (excluding the bark) can be eaten raw, including those found underground.
Distribution and habitat
The Arctic willow grows in tundra and rocky moorland, and is the northernmost woody plant in the world, occurring far above the tree line to the northern limit of land on the north coast of Greenland. Its distribution is circumpolar. It occurs in Canada in the mainland northern territories and in the Arctic Archipelago all the way up to Ellesmere Island alongside Greenland, and in northern Quebec and Labrador, as well as in northern Iceland, Fennoscandia, northern Russia and northern Alaska.
Ecology
The Arctic willow is a food source for several Arctic animals. , Reindeer, , and all feed on the bark and twigs, while the buds are the main food source of the rock ptarmigan.
Uses
Both the Inuit and the Gwich’in make use of this willow. Twigs are used as fuel, while the decayed flowers ( suputiit) are mixed with moss and used as wicking in the kudlik. The plant was used for several medicinal purposes, such as relieving toothache, helping to stop bleeding, curing diarrhoea and indigestion, and as a poultice on wounds.
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Categories: Arctica, Flora Of The Arctic, Alpine Flora, Flora Of Greenland, Flora Of Norway, Flora Of Sweden, Flora Of The Faroe Islands, Flora Of Iceland, Flora Of Russia, Flora Of Siberia, Flora Of Alaska, Flora Of Canada, Flora Of The Northwestern United States, Flora Of California, Flora Of The Sierra Nevada, Flora Of New Mexico, Flora Of Japan, Flora Of China, Flora Without Expected Tnc Conservation Status
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