Circumpolar Arctic Floristic Provinces - North Atlantic Group

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West Siberia - East Siberia - Beringia - Canada - North Atlantic

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"This group of six regions …partly contains regions recognized as Arctic by Yurtsev (1994), [and] partly new or expanded regions. The Baffin-Labrador region consists of southern Baffin Island, the mainland peninsulas of northern Labrador and Ungava, and the coasts of Hudson Bay (excluding James Bay). The western limitation of this region is still disputed. The West Greenland and East Greenland regions are now extended to the southern tip of Greenland. We exclude two small boreal enclaves in the south-westernmost parts of West Greenland, with forest remnants and with isolated and aberrant occurrences of several species. In the mid-Atlantic is the North Iceland region of the northernmost peninsulas of Iceland, and also including Jan Mayen. The Norwegian island Jan Mayen is included here because it is negatively characterized floristically. Nearly all its species (97-98%) are in common with Iceland. East Greenland and North Norway, and it could equally well have been united with each of these. We have decided not to accept negatively characterized regions and therefore chose to unite Jan Mayen with Iceland because the distance to mainland Norway is much longer. On the European side are recognized two regions. The North Fennoscandian region is 'new' and includes the north-easternmost peninsulas and island of Norway and the northernmost coastal parts of Kola Peninsula in Russia. In the Barents Sea, the Svalbard-Franz Joseph Land region consists of the Spitsbergen Islands, Bear Island and Franz Joseph Land. Franz Joseph Land is negatively characterized; all its species also occur in the Spitsbergen Islands." (From Elvebakk et al. 1999.)

• Baffin-Labrador sector

  "The northern (tundra) part of the Labrador Peninsula, and the southern and southeastern parts of Baffin Island, are influenced by oceanic boreal air masses, and they have many floristic characters in common with S. Greenland, though the number of true Arctic (including some continental) species is larger than in S. Greenland…. [T]he rank of the Baffin-Labrador province needs further research." [From Yurtsev 1994.]

• Western Greenland sector

  "This [sector] is mainly defined by overlapping distribution areas of amphi-Atlantic and other oceanic Arctic-alpine species from (non-Arctic) South Greenland, and true Arctic, Arctic-alpine and many other continental species (including Hypoarctic and Hypoarctic-montane ones, which usually also occur in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and frequently also in North and/or East Greenland). A floristic W-E gradient is partly transformed here into a latitudinal gradient. Some species from NE Canada, e.g. Arabidopsis mollis, Artemisia borealis, and Pedicularis lanata are found." [From Yurtsev 1994.]

• Eastern Greenland sector

  A situation similar to Western Greenland occurs in East Greenland, " …where the transformation of the floristic gradient is still more pronounced. Some continental species from Siberia (e.g. Draba sibirica, Polemonium boreale, Potentilla lyngei, P. rubella and P. stipularis) penetrate, as well as differential amphi-Atlantic taxa (e.g. Arenaria pseudofrigida and Beckwithia glaciallis). Taxa such as Arctous alpina, Draba cana and Dryopteris fragrans, which are absent in S. and N. Greenland, but present in W. and E. Greenland, are considered as differential taxa of the E. Greenland [sector]. Arnica angustifolia, Carex atrofusca, C. marina and Ranunculus nivalis common in E. and W. Greenland, are rare in N. Greenland Bay (1992)." [From Yurtsev 1994.]

• Iceland-Jan Mayan sector

  "This area (like the North Beringian) is characterized by an impoverished, true oceanic Arctic flora which does not resemble any of the neighbouring American or European provinces in particular. Circumpolar species prevail, but amphi-Atlantic species are present as well. A few endemic microspecies of Taraxacum have been described." (From Yurtsev 1994.)

• Fennoscandia sector

  This small region is new and includes the north-easternmost peninsulas and islands of Norway and the northernmost coastal parts of Kola Peninsula.

• Svalbard-Franz Josef sector

  This sector includes Svalbard, Bear Island, and Franz Josef Land. "The subprovince has a rather poor flora, which corresponds very well to its high latitudinal position and extensive (even at present) glaciation. Endemism is negligible and involves only apomictic or hybrid taxa (Potentilla X insularis, Puccinellia svalbardensis, Saxifraga X svalbardensis). In the Svalbard archipelago (especially on Spitsbergen Island), the amphi-Atlantic, Arctic and Arctic-alpine species, are associated with American Arctic and High Arctic species such as Carex hepburnii, Minuartia rossii and Poa hartzii and Eurasian Arctic plants, e.g. Phyppsia concinna and Salix polaris, only a few of which are present in Franz Josef Land. The flora of the latter lacks the eastern co-differential element, but includes some western (amphi-Atlantic) co-differential taxa. The floristic conections of Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya are very remarkable, even involving some taxa endemic or subendemic to the province, notably Draba gredinii and Pedicularis dasyantha." (From Yurtsev 1994.)