Home List of Plants & Others on the North SlopePlant List: T-Z

Plant List: T-Z

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Tansy or Lake Huron Tansy

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Tanacetum bipinnatum or Chrysanthemum bipinnatum
Family Name: Asteraceae
Description: Stem single. Leaves 2-3 times pinnately dissected. Solitary flower head; yellow; hairy bracts.
Habitat and NSB locations: Sandy areas.
Height: 6-8 inches.
Traditional Uses: None known.


Tansy taken by Leslie Pierce in the Colville River delta in early August


Tansy taken by Jo Heathcote south of Teshekpuk Lake

Thrift Seapink

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Armeria maritima
Family Name: Plumbaginaceae
Description: Small, tufted plant with tall flowering stems; small, linear, grayish-green leaves. Flowers in short hemispherical, tight spikelets; petals pink to purple.
Habitat and NSB locations: Found near shorelines in dry, sandy areas.
Height: 4-5 inches.
Traditional Uses:


Taken by Jo Heathcote south of Teshekpuk Lake

Tufted Hairgrass

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Deschampsia cespitosa
Family Name: Poaceae
Description:
Habitat and NSB locations: Dry to moist areas, especially along streambeds.
Height: 1 to 1-1/2 feet tall.
Traditional Uses:


Taken by Leslie Pierce in the Colville River delta in early August

Tufted Saxifrage

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Saxifraga caespitosa
Family Name: Saxifragaceae
Description: Small, lobed, green leaves with reddish edges growing in tuft or cushion. Tiny white flowers held up above the cushion at the end of reddish stems.
Habitat and NSB locations: Found in dry areas on the tundra.
Height: ~ 2 inches.
Traditional Uses: None known.


Saxifraga caespitosa taken by Leslie Pierce near Barrow

Tundra Grass

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Dupontia fischeri
Family Name: Poaceae
Description: Grass with yellow-green inflorescence, often with purplish tinge.
Habitat and NSB locations: Sandy or wet areas, or near beaches.
Height: Up to 1 foot high.
Traditional Uses: None known.
Photo: See this picture on the Toolik-Arctic Geobotanical Atlas.


Taken by Leslie Pierce south of Teshekpuk Lake

Tundra Rose or Arctic Cinquefoil

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Potentilla hyparctica
Family Name: Roseaceae
Description: Low-lying plant; leaves are dark green and 3-lobed; deeply toothed and hairy. Flowers have 5 bright yellow petals.
Habitat and NSB locations: Dry tundra.
Height: 3 inches.
Traditional Uses: Leaves used for tea.


Tundra rose taken by Leslie Pierce near Barrow


Tundra rose taken by Karen Hegyi near Barrow


Tundra rose taken by Jo Heathcote south of Teshekpuk Lake

Valerian

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Valeriana capitata
Family Name: Valerianaceae
Description: Single stem with pairs of leaves at nodes. Leaves broad, lance-shaped, 3-lobed, middle larger lobe slightly toothed. Flowers in dense cap at top of stem; white to lilac, narrow, tubular-shaped.
Habitat and NSB locations: Moist tundra.
Height: 8-12 inches.
Traditional Uses: None known.


Valeriana taken by Leslie Pierce in the Colville River delta in early August

Water Sedge

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Carex aquatilis
Family Name: Cyperaceae
Description: Long, grass-like leaves on thick, rounded stems. Flowers in several large, stiff spikes at end of stem (or culm); brown or blackish; two green leaf-like bracts extending beyond spikes.
Habitat and NSB locations: Marshy areas and ponds.
Height: 1 foot or more.
Traditional Uses: None known.


Water sedge taken by Leslie Pierce south of Teshekpuk Lake

Weak Saxifrage or Pygmy Saxifrage

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Saxifraga rivularis
Family Name: Saxifragaceae
Description: Low-growing; leaves basal and palmate with 3-7 lobes. Flowers with 5 white to reddish-purplish petals.
Habitat and NSB locations: Wet areas, snow beds.
Height: 1-2 inches.
Traditional Uses: None known.
Photo: See this picture on the Toolik-Arctic Geobotanical Atlas.

Whitlow Grass

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Draba nivalis (see also D. alpina, Golden Whitlow Grass)
Family Name: Brassicaceae
Description: Basal whorl of leaves; oblong to lance-shaped, slightly hairy. Flowering stem much taller, reddish-tinged; inflorescence dense, small white 4-petaled flowers bunched at top.
Habitat and NSB locations: Dry areas.
Height: 2-3 inches.
Traditional Uses: None known.


Whitlow grass taken by Leslie Pierce near Barrow


Draba taken by Leslie Pierce in Point Lay in June (may be D. cinerea or D. borealis)

Wild Celery or Seacoast Angelica

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Angelica lucida
Family Name: Apiaceae
Description: Stout plants with compound, alternate leaves; greenish-white flowers in an umbel.
Habitat and NSB locations: Along riverbanks or coasts.
Height: 1 to 3 feet.
Traditional Uses:


Wild Celery taken by Jerica Aamodt near Barrow in August

Wild Sweet Pea

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Hedysarum mackenzii
Family Name: Fabaceae
Description: Stems mostly unbranched; leaves pinnately dissected with 3 to 7 leaflet pairs; leaves hairy below. Inflorescence much higher than leaves; large flowers purple to dark purple.
Habitat and NSB locations: Rocky slopes, gravel bars.
Height: 6-18 inches.
Traditional Uses: Not the edible species. H. mackenzii is thought to be poisonous. The edible Masu is H. alpinum which is found farther south.
Photo: See this picture on the Toolik-Arctic Geobotanical Atlas.

Willow

Iñupiaq Name: Uqpik or Uqpiich
Scientific Name: Salix spp. (S. alaxensis or Felt-leaf willow, S. arbusculoides, S. arctica or Arctic Willow, S. glauca, S. lanata, S. pulchra, S. reticulata or Net-veined Willow, or S. rotundifolia or Round-leaved Willow)
Family Name: Salicaceae
Description: Leaves on willows vary from small, rounded, netted (S. arctica, S. reticulata or S. rotundifolia) to large, lance-shaped (S. alaxensis, S. arbusculoides, S. glauca or S. pulchra) to large and oval-shaped (S. lanata). Flowers in long catkins; male and female catkins on separate plants. Male catkins usually fuzzier, with long stamens (some red-tipped); female catkins usually harder or more firm, fruits turning to seeds with long hairs.
Habitat and NSB locations: Dry tundra.
Height: From several inches in height (S. arctica, S. reticulata or S. rotundifolia) to tall shrubs 4 feet or higher (S. alaxensis, S. arbusculoides, S. glauca, S. lanata or S. pulchra).
Traditional Uses: Young leaves and shoots high in vitamin C. Put leaves in seal oil and eat; good with meat; taste like Iqpik. Chew and lay on bee sting. The bark of willows contains salicylic acid (found in aspirin). Peel outer bark and suck out juice.
IHLC Specimens: Photo of Salix arctica specimen and Salix alaxensis collected for the NSB Arctic Harvest project in the early 1990’s.
Photo: See these photos from the Toolik-Arctic Geobotanical Atlas: S. alaxensis, S. arbusculoides, S. arctica, S. glauca, S. pulchra, S. reticulata, S. rotundifolia,


Taken by Chris Finkler near Barrow, willow shrub about 8-10 inches in height


Male willow catkins taken by Leslie Pierce near Barrow


Male willow catkins taken by Jay St. Vincent near Barrow on June 15, 2008


Male willow catkins taken by Karen Hegyi near Barrow


Female willow catkins, taken by Chris Finkler near Barrow


Female willow catkins, taken by Leslie Pierce near Barrow


Willow catkins, female, taken by Jo Heathcote south of Teshekpuk Lake


Net-veined willow near Kaktovik in July. Photo by Leslie Pierce


Male catkins on tall willow shrub taken by Leslie Pierce on the Kukpowruk River in June

Wood Rush

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Luzula arctica (also L.confusa)
Family Name: Juncaceae
Description: Tufts of grass-like purplish-gray, narrow leaves, mostly basal; flowers in a dense cap or spike, dark grayish to violet.
Habitat and NSB locations: Moist tundra or beachside cliffs.
Height: 4-6 inches.
Traditional Uses: None known.
Photo: See plant profile in the USDA Plant Database. See this picture of L.confusa on the Toolik-Arctic Geobotanical Atlas.

Woolly Lousewort

Iñupiaq Name: Itqiļiaġruk or Itqiļiaġruaq or Qutliiraq
Scientific Name: Pedicularis lanata (also have P. kanei below, or P. sudetica or P. capitata)
Family Name: Scrophulariaceae
Description: Fern-like leaves near base of plant. Flower stalk starts out as fuzzy, greenish-gray “pom-pom”; dark pink flowers open all over the “woolly” stalk.
Height: About 3 to 5″.
Habitat and NSB locations: Found in higher, drier areas on the tundra, throughout the North Slope.
Traditional Uses: Root is used as a starchy food, eaten raw by itself, or with seal oil.  Flowers are edible.


Woolly lousewort buds taken by Karen Hegyi near Barrow


Woolly lousewort taken by Leslie Pierce near Barrow


Lousewort taken by Lindsey Kendall near Point Lay in early July. May be P. kanei or P. langsdorffii

Yarrow

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Achillea borealis
Family Name: Asteraceae
Description: Fuzzy leaves, that are long, narrow and highly dissected. Flowers in clusters a the top of stems (a corymb), small white ray flowers (3-4 mm long petals). Dark margins around the base of the flowers.
Habitat and NSB locations: Sandy soils and meadows.
Height: Up to about 1 foot.
Traditional Uses:
Photo: See this drawing on the USDA Plants Database.

Yellow Lousewort or Capitate Lousewort

Iñupiaq Name:
Scientific Name: Pedicularis capitata (see also P. lanata, P. kanei, P. sudetica)
Family Name: Scrophulariaceae
Description: Basal leaves, pinnately dissected; leaves along stem less dissected. Infloresence a cap at top of stem; sepals leaf-like, petals yellowish-colored; upper lip turning rose-colored, larger and curved; lower lip 3-lobed.
Habitat and NSB locations: Rocky, dry areas.
Height: 3-4 inches.
Traditional Uses: Flowers eaten occasionally.


Capitate Lousewort taken by Lyndsay Kendall near Point Lay in early July


Capitate lousewort taken by Jo Heathcote south of Teshekpuk Lake

Banner photo credit: Jo Heathcote

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