Plants The arctic tundra has different plants. Some common plants include the bearberry, arctic moss, caribou moss, diamond leaf willow, labrador tea, pasque flower and the tufted saxifrage. Some animals in the tundra eat these plants to survive and get energy to stay warm. Some plants are useful for humans. The plants adapt by growing short and close to the ground to avoid high winds. Hairy stems also help keep the plants stay warm.
Plants need warmth and sunlight to grow and reproduce. In the Arctic tundra, warmth and sunlight are in short supply, even in the summer. The ground is frequently covered with snow until June, and the Sun is always low in the sky.
How are plants able to grow in the arctic?
There are ways that plants have adapted.
Most of the plants are small, grow close together and close to the ground. This protects them from the cold temperatures and the strong winds. Some flowering plants have fuzzy coverings on the stems, leaves and buds to provide protection from the wind. Some have cup-shaped flowers pointing towards the sun so that the sun's rays are directed to the center of the flower. Others are dark colored so they observe more solar heat. Because of the short growing season, most tundra plants are perennials. Perennials do not die in the winter.Some plants, like lichens, can survive on bare rock.