PliEPARATIONS FOR WINTERING. 345 



Of annuals wliicli flourish in more temperate climates, 

 the Arctic Flora possesses few. We found in reality 

 none, though one might consider a sort of saxifrage 

 {Saxifraga flagellaris^ Willd.) amongst them which propa- 

 gates itself by layers, and is called by the English most 

 appropriately " spider-wort." This plant, with its strong 

 rosette of leaves and coarse, handsome, yellow flowers, we 

 had seen blooming in numbers on the low grounds in 

 August. On the reddish stalks, from one to three inches 

 long, we saw buds about the size of a small pea, gene- 

 rally from three to eight in a circle. These buds form 

 roots at their bases, which were even then beginning to 

 sink into the ground. 



Now, at the end of September, we found the parent 

 plant dead. It was easily pulled from the earth, and even 

 the tendrils broke short off, so that the young plant 

 stood alone ready to unfold its blossoms next year. In 

 spite of all our searches we found no fruit, not even any 

 partly developed. Thus we have an example of a plant 

 being only able to propagate itself by its seed in favour- 

 able years. The preservation of this sort of plant is quite 

 independent of climate. All other plants are evergreen 

 shrubs, each individual having the power of ripening seed 

 unnecessarily every year. Upon this also we made some 

 observations. 



The bilberry {Vaccmium idiginosum, L.), which we 

 found growing in low, weak bushes on the eastern decli- 

 vity of the Hasenberg, and lower down near the shore, 

 showed no sign whatever of having bloomed the year 

 before. The same was the case with the Andromeda on 

 the southern declivity of Germaniaberg ; whilst this plant, 

 on the warm southern slope of the Hasenberg, not only 



