// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Cassiope tetragona say? "I'm pining to meet you.
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| Cassiope tetragona | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Cassiope |
| Species: | C. tetragona |
| Binomial name | |
| Cassiope tetragona | |
| Subspecies[2] | |
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Cassiope tetragona (common names include Arctic bell-heather, white Arctic mountain heather and Arctic white heather) is a 5 - 10 cm tall low growing plant native to the high Arctic and northern Norway, where it is found widely. It is a white flowered shrub in the Ericaceae family[3].
Destribtion
[edit]Growing to 10–20 cm in height, it is a strongly branched dwarf shrub[4]. The leaves are grooved, evergreen, and scale-like in four rows. Pedicels are long and arched. The plant bears bell-shaped, solitary flowers usually with white and pink lobes and pink anthers. The flower stalks and sepals are red, but the petals may also be yellowish-white. The anthers can also be brownish-yellow and flower stalks and sepals yellowish-green.
Habitat
[edit]
It grows on ridges, gravely slopes, heaths and tundra[5], often in abundance and forming a distinctive and unique plant community.
Distribution
[edit]Cassiope tetragona is widely distributed throughout the north hemisphere[3][5].
Uses
[edit]In the Canadian Arctic, indigenous peoples use the plant as fuel[4]. Because of high resin content, it burns even when wet.[6]
The plant can also be used in cooking. Canadian chef Louis Charest used arctic heather as a smoked herb for the 2016 Three Amigos Summit state dinner.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ NatureServe (6 December 2024). "Cassiope tetragona | NatureServe Explorer". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- 1 2 "Cassiope tetragona (L.) D.Don | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- 1 2 "Cassiope tetragona". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- 1 2 "Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago - Cassiope tetragona (L.) D. Don". nature.ca. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- 1 2 Flora of North America (2026). "Cassiope tetragona subsp. tetragona - FNA". Retrieved 2026-08-15.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ↑ John 'Lofty' Wiseman SAS Survival Handbook, Revised Edition p. 72; William Morrow Paperbacks (2008) ISBN 978-1875900060
- ↑ Stone, Laura (27 June 2016). "Rideau Hall chef cooking up a coast-to-coast dinner for Three Amigos summit". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
