Plant
Eight-petal Mountain-Avens
Dryas octopetalaAlso known as Mountain Avens, White Dryas
Eight-petal Mountain-Avens is a low evergreen subshrub that forms mats across Arctic and alpine ground. White flowers usually carry eight petals around a yellow center, while leathery scalloped leaves remain close to warm rock and soil.
Arctic-alpine plantmat-forming shrubeight-petaled flower
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyPhotosynthesis; shallow roots and nitrogen-fixing partners obtain nutrients from cold mineral soil
Predators
- weevils
- caterpillars
- grazing mammals
ThreatsClimate warming, shrub encroachment, trampling, ski development, and altered snow cover
HabitatsAlpine tundra, limestone scree, gravel ridges, heath, fellfield, and Arctic coastal ground
Life spanA long-lived woody perennial whose mats may persist for decades
Classification
- FamilyRosaceae
- SpeciesDryas octopetala
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Wild alpine plants have look-alikes; do not eat, ingest, pick, or uproot material.
Responsible observation
- Petals: Count the usually eight white petals around a dense yellow center.
- Footing: Use bare durable rock and avoid stepping on low woody mats.
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