What Are Some of the Plants in the Tundra?

Tundra ecosystems stretch across the northernmost regions of North America, Europe, Asia, a portion of the Antarctic Peninsula and southern Greenland. Most tundra regions have an average annual temperature of 41 degrees Fahrenheit and annual precipitation levels of less than 4 inches. Despite these harsh conditions, summers bring almost 24-hour sunlight, giving more plants a chance to thrive.

The aquatic Arctic moss, or Calliergon giganteum, makes its home on the bottom of tundra lakes and around bogs. Arctic moss is a bryophyte, or non-vascular plant with narrow, inrolled leaves. Instead of roots, Arctic moss has rhizoids, or small, root-like filaments. Arctic moss can grow as little as ?-inch per year and live as long as 10 years.

Arctic willow, also known as rock willow or Salix arctica, grows in bogs, marshes, sedge meadows, at the edge of lakes and ponds and on mud flats. Arctic willow can grow up to 8 inches high with a very shallow, lateral root system with no taproot. The plant produces small pink or brown blooms in the spring. Its oval leaves have a layer of fuzzy hairs that protect it from the cold.

Laborador tea, also known as St. Jame's tea, marsh tea or Ledum groenlandicum, prefers the southern regions of the tundra ecosystem. In warmer, southern latitudes the plant grows vertically, but in colder, northern regions it tends to grow horizontally to form a carpet. Vertical plants can reach up to 5 feet in height. Laborador tea produces white blooms in June and July. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Laborador tea "conserves nutrients and helps protect the plant from cold, windscour, and desiccation" by retaining old leaves instead of dropping them.

Caribou moss, also called reindeer lichen or Cladonia rangifernia, is a member of the lichen family. Lichen are composed of fungi and algae; the two organisms support each other in a symbiotic relationship. Caribou moss is a light lichen that prefers well-drained soil and open environments.

The bearberry, or Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, is also known as the foxberry or kinnikinnick. This evergreen plant reaches heights of 8 inches. The bearberry's light green, leathery leaves and stem are covered with fine hairs that help protect the plant from cold. In the spring, the bearberry produces small, pink or white flowers and small red berries. Bearberry plants grow in sandy and shallow soils, on exposed rocks, and near river banks.