42¢ Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 
Trisetum, Ranunculus, Hedysarum are perhaps more characteristic of less cov- 
ered, sandy or gravelly stretches; while the rest, particularly Carex, Saliz, 
Silene, Saxifraga, Dryas, and Pedicularis form the bulk of the vegetation on the 
dry tundra, together with a number of mosses and lichens. (Plate IX, fig. 2) 
Carex rupestris, Cerastium, Potentilla, and Oxytropis are perhaps, besides 
certain tuft grasses, the most characteristic plants on the more barren gravel 
plains; but where the plains mainly consist of clay the following characteristic 
plants occur almost exclusively, viz.: Tofieldia palustris, Lychnis affinis, Draba 
alpina, Braya purpurascens, Parrya macrocarpa, Primula stricta (mainly near 
the beach), Chrysanthemum integrifolium. Tofieldia palustris and Parrya macro- 
carpa are however rather rare and seem only to be found on moist ground. 
To the above lists of the plants occurring on the drier tundra should also 
be added those occurring mainly in the tundra swamps but which spread out 
to moist places, depressions, small gullies, etc., on the drier ground. 
The gravel ridges and slopes near the coast have a vegetation which is 
best developed upon the south-facing slopes, particularly where these are some- 
what sandy. In places where the ground is made up of limestone, to the exclusion 
of surface soil, the lichens make up the bulk of the vegetation, and only in small 
pockets here and there a few hardy plants occur, such as mosses, Saxifraga 
oppositifolia, Dryas, Potentilla, etc. This refers particularly to the tops of the 
points in which the gravel ridges from inland reach the sea. 
The more gravelly, clayey, or sandy parts of the ridges have generally a 
good vegetation, particularly in places which have some protection from the 
wind and where, in the case of sandy soil, the plants have been able to conquer 
the ground without later.being deprived of it. In this connection it was inter- 
esting to observe the sandy slope on the south side of the peninsula facing the 
bay just south of the station. 1t is covered by a dense growth of Salix anglorum, 
Silene acaulis, Dryas integrifolia, Potentilla, Oxytropis, Hedysarum Mackenzit, 
etc., in the form of “nigger heads” partly covering the sand. The sand, how- 
ever, is being hollowed out and carried away by melt-water in the spring 
and by the force of the wind so that some of the plant pillows are tumbling 
down, though still retaining life and showing many flowers. (Plate VII, fig. 1; 
Plate VIII, fig. 1). 
The following may be considered typical plants for the sandy slopes, viz.: 
Calamagrostis purpurascens, Poa arctica, Festuca ovina var. brevifolia, Carex 
scirpoidea, Salix anglorum, Cerastium alpinum, Anemone parviflora*!, Lesquer- 
ella arctica*, Hesperis Pallasii*, Saxifraga decipiens var. groenlandica, 8S. tri- 
cuspidata, Dryas integrifolia, Potentilla spp., Astragalus aboriginorum*, Oxy- 
tropis spp., Hedysarum Mackenzti, Androsace Chamaejasme, Plantago lanceolata, 
Campanula uniflora, Erigeron wniflorus*, Antennaria alpina*, A. candida*, 
Artemisia sp., Arnica alpina*. 
Some of the illustrations accompanying this report (See also Pt. A, Plate I, 
fig. 1, of this volume) show better than many words how certain species dominate 
where they occur, to the exclusion of other plants, and how luxuriant a vegetation 
certain places on the slopes have. As a matter of fact, not even the lower, more 
plant-filled tundra shows such a variety of different, well-developed plants as 
do certain parts of the slopes. Covered during the winter and spring with a 
deep layer of snow which melts under the strong influence of the midday sun 
1 The plants marked with an x are particularly typical. 
