276 THE ARCTIC FLORA. 



slumber, that continues until the moment when they 

 again emerge into daylight and sunshine. Then, as 

 we have already explained, they immediately awake, 

 like a child aroused from sleep, and vegetation pushes 

 forward with great rapidity during the brief summer 

 season. Were it not for the covering of snow, how- 

 ever, it is probable that frost would penetrate with 

 such intensity into the ground, that it would remain 

 almost constantly in such a state of iron-like congela- 

 tion that most of the arctic plants would gradually 

 perish, but botanical research shows that though the 

 number and variety of the arctic flora are few in 

 comparison with other and more favoured regions, 

 still that quite a long list of plants have been ascer- 

 tained to maintain existence there, for the Encyclopedia 

 Britannica, in a summary of the results obtained thus 

 far, states that 



" there are 762 flowering plants and 925 cryptogams, within 

 the arctic circle, making a total of 1687 plants. Lapland con- 

 tains by far the richest flora, amounting to three-quarters of 

 the whole, while three-fifths of the species found in Arctic 

 Asia and America also belong to Lapland." * 



This however is only what might have been expected, 

 seeing the wonderful fertility of portions of it, to which 

 we have already called attention. 



We do not propose to weary our readers with any 

 technical description of arctic flora, but shall merely 

 remark that among the common flowers and plants of 

 our own country, which have their representatives in 

 these northern regions, are the dandelion (Taraxicum 

 Dens Leonis], a poppy (Papaver Nudicaula), three species 

 of ranunculus, and several of our meadow grasses. 



* Encycl. Brit., Qth Edition, Vol. xix, p. 328. 



