SURVIVAL OF PLANTS ON NUNATAKS IN NORWAY 



279 



examinations Dahl (1961) has proved that the soil contains the minerals 

 vermiculite and hydrobiotite formed by an advanced disintegration of 

 biotite. Dahl is of the opinion that the degree of disintegration is much higher 

 than that hitherto known for the biotite in the lowland of southern and central 

 Scandinavia. As this disintegrated soil rests in such a strongly exposed 

 position it does not seem likely that it could have been able to resist the 

 erosion of a thick ice sheet. Accordingly, the soil layers also indicate nunataks 

 in this area. 



■ kjiiiiii* 







Fig. 21. Photo of the soil layer on the highest peak of the Gjevilvasskammene 

 Mts. at 1640 m altitude. 



Botanical investigations have revealed a very rich and interesting flora. 

 Artemisia norvegica is extremely common. Among the bicentric species 

 should be mentioned Luzula arctica, Nigritella nigra, Carex paral/ela. C. 

 misandra, Sagina caespitosa, Papaver radicatimu Draba fladnizensis, D. 

 lactea, Miimartia rubella, Poteutilla nivea, and Euphrasia lapponica. Besides 

 Artemisia norvegica there are several southern unicentric species such as 

 Taraxacum dovrense, Poa arctica ssp. elongata and ssp. depauperata, and 

 Pedicularis oederi. Another important species is Arenaria norvegica which has 

 played an important part in the survival theory because of its strange distribu- 

 tion. Outside of Norway, it is known from northern Scotland, the Orkney 

 Islands and Iceland. The same distribution, with the addition of southern 

 Greenland and Labrador, is typical of Poa flexuosa which occurs also in the 

 Gjevilvasskammene Mts. 



Thus, there is again a remarkable concentration of species which have 

 played a great part in the survival theory. Tt is necessary to be very careful 



