Dryas octopetala

Thomas. J. Herbert

Department of Biology, University of Miami

(These photographs were taken on Spitzbergen Island, Svalbard, Norway, June, 1985.)

I am engaged in a project to measure leaf inclination angles of the Mountain Avens, Dryas octopetala. Preliminary evidence from Svalbard (Norway), Teesdale (England), Obersdorf (Germany), and the Fagaras Mountains (Romania) indicates that the leaves of this plant are more vertical in lower latitudes and more horizontal in higher latitudes. The relationship between latitude and leaf or leaflet inclination angle seems to be common for plants and may even have a theoretical basis.

Have you seen this plant? It has a circumpolar distribution in the arctic with a range which is reported to extend southward to Bulgaria and N. Greece in Europe, into the Russian and Georgian Caucaus, into Xinjiang and Manchuria, and into Korea and on the Yatsugatake range in Japan. It is also found in Alaska, Northern Canada, Colorado, Wyoming, and Russia.

The characteristics of this plant are:

If you know where this plant is in your country, please email me. This information will make a significant contribution to a research project. Any information , such as a photograph or map marked with the location and latitude/longitude coordinates, will be greatly appreciated.

Den virtuella floran - Dryas page | Svalbard Vascular Plants
Dryas is also found in the Burren - Co. Clare, Ireland

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All text and images not attributed to others are Copyright, 1997, Thomas J. Herbert. They may not be used for any commercial purpose without the express written permission of Thomas J. Herbert.