Welcome to the world's most northerly botanical garden!

Imagine, if you will, a well-organised botanical garden on a hillside facing snow-covered mountains and a fjord. You wander through a valley of vivid Rhododendrons, observe cushion forget-me-nots from New Zealand and incredible rock plants in the Alpine garden, and admire Himalayan blue poppies in the height of summer. Access to the garden is completely free : there is no barrier, no charge and you can visit all day every day of the year. Welcome to the Arctic-Alpine botanic garden opened in 1994 and run by Tromsø University Museum in Norway!

The Alpine climate is situated in high altitudes, most often described as areas above the tree-line. Both Alpine and Arctic areas present harsh growing conditions for plants including cold, snow, wind and short growing seasons. Each section in the Arctic-Alpine botanic garden is organised either by region (South and North America, the Caucases, the European Alps...) or by plant family. Plant families are groups of plants which share the same characteristics such as similar flower patterns, leaf arrangement or type of fruit. Understanding plant families can help with identification of plants and improve your knowledge of how plants adapt to different conditions. Here are just three families present in the Arctic-Alpine botanic garden.

The first family, the Saxifraga family (Saxifragaceae in Latin), also known as the rockfoil family, is well-represented in the botanical garden. The name saxifraga literally means « rock breaking » so these plants are commonly found amongst rocky crags and rock fissures in Alpine regions as well as traditionally being used to « break » kidney stones. Elephant’s ears (Bergenia cordifolia) is one member of this family with large leathery oval-shaped leaves (hence the name) and tall spikes of pink flowers. Growing wild in the Altai and Mongolia, its rhizome (a subterranean, horizontal plant stem) is used in infusions in these regions to treat oral diseases, colds and fevers and gastritis [1]. Amongst its proven properties it has shown to be anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, protective of the brain and liver [1]. This plant can be also be seen in private gardens and wilder landscapes around Tromsø.

Primula marginata, « silver-edged primrose », is a member of the Primrose (Primulaceae) family and grows at altitudes of 500 to 2,600 metres. This family counts over 2,000 species of flowering plants worldwide. Primroses are just one category of the family and come in a wide range of colours. Their flowers have five petals and five sepals and the leaves are generally organised in rosettes at the base of the plant. The Tromsø-aurikkel variety which greets you at the entrance to the garden, is a hybrid which means that it has been crossbred with another species.

The third family, the Buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, is one of the best-known families of plants and includes popular garden plants such as Aquilegia, Clematis and Anemone. These plants are well-adapted to Alpine climate. Many plants in this family have highly attractive flowers but are also toxic to humans and animals. Wolfsbane or Monkshood (Aconitum napellus), the most toxic plant in Europe, is one such example. Its reputation comes from the fact that all parts of the plant are toxic (both through skin contact and ingestion) and a lethal dose of its root is between 2 and 5 grams. A number of plants from the Buttercup family are present in the botanical garden. One of my favourites is Anemona narcissiflora subspecies Crinita, narcissus anemone, native to Siberia and Mongolia. This magnificent anemone blooms in late spring and attracts pollinators and visitors to the garden alike!

Walking through the Arctic-Alpine botanic garden transports you from one corner of the world to another through a diversity of flora in a majestic setting. However, you don't need to travel so far to meet splendid members of the Buttercup, Primrose and Saxifraga families in your own country. I invite you to step out and discover them for yourselves!

For more information on identifying flowers, see the posts "What makes a flower attractive?"

and "What links flowers, bees and electric fields?".

[1] Koul B, Kumar A, Yadav D, Jin JO. Bergenia Genus: Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology. Molecules. 2020 Nov 26;25(23):5555. doi: 10.3390/molecules25235555.