The common perception of the circumpolar world is one that includes only a few particulary hardy plants. While that is true in some areas, the plant life in many areas is both
abundant and varied. One such rich location is just a mile from my house, and is well-used by locals for walking, cross-country skiing, ATV and snowmobile riding and other activities.
In October 2000 I had the pleasure of taking a tour of a small section of the Carcross Dunes system with botanist Bruce Bennett from the Yukon Government's Department of Renewable
Resources. His passion for this unique resource resulted in the tour lasting until well after dark.
Known locally as "The World's Smallest Desert", the Carcross Dunes are home to a wide variety of plants, some of them very unusual. The Baikal Sedge
(Carex sabulosa ssp. leiophylla), for example, is only
known in four places in North America, and the Yukon Lupine (Lupinus kuschei) is more common here than in any other location in the world.
Other plants found in the Carcross Dunes system that are of interest due to their rarity or limited distribution are the Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia parviflora),
Mutton Grass (Poa cusickii) and Nelson's Needle-grass (Stipa nelsonii ssp. dorei).
While there has been some discussion about formal protection of the Dunes, either as a Territorial Park or through some other designation, nothing has resulted so far. This is due
to a combination of local concerns about reduced access, private ownership of large parts of the Dunes and other development issues. A planned hotel right on the northern edge of the Dunes has now
brought the entire issue of the importance of this ecosystem into critical focus again, and residents, the Yukon Government and the Carcross-Tagish First Nation, who are planning the hotel, are
working to resolve all the possible conflicts.
Carcross Dunes Photo Album
The following list of 70 plants has been compiled by Bruce Bennett, Carolyn Parker, Alan Batten and Rhonda Rosie.
| Abies lasiocarpa |
Subalpine fir |
| Achillea millefolium var. borealis |
Northern Yarrow |
| Androsace septentrionalis |
Northern Fairy-candelabra |
| Anemone multifida |
Cut-leaf Anemone |
| Antennaria rosea |
Rosy Pussytoes |
| Arabis holboellii |
Holboell's Rockcress |
| Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
Kinnikinnick |
| Artemisia campestris |
Pacific Wormwood |
| Artemisia frigidus |
Pasture Sage |
| Aster sibiricus |
Arctic Aster |
| Bromus pumpellianus ssp. pumpellianus |
Pumpelly Brome |
| Calamagrostis purpurascens |
Purple Reedgrass |
| Carex foenea |
Northern Elegant Sedge |
| Carex obtusata |
Blunt Sedge |
| Carex praticola |
Pasture Sedge |
| Carex sabulosa ssp. leiophylla |
Baikal Sedge |
| Carex stenophylla eleocharis |
Spike-rush Sedge |
| Carex supina |
Weak Arctic Sedge |
| Cerastium arvense |
Field Chickweed |
| Chamaigrhodos erecta nuttallii |
American Chamaerhodos |
| Collinsia parviflora |
Blue-eyed Mary |
| Elymus alaskanus borealis |
Alaskan Wild Rye |
| Elymus calderi |
Calder's Wild Rye |
| Elymus trachycaulus subsecundus |
Slender Wheatgrass |
| Epilobium angustifolium |
Fireweed |
| Equisetum arvense |
Common Horsetail |
| Erigeron caespitosa |
Tufted Fleabane |
| Erigeron compositus |
Cut-leaf Fleabane |
| Festuca saximontana |
Rocky Mountain Fescue |
| Geocaulon lividium |
Orange-berry Bastard Toadflax |
| Hierochloe hirta arctica |
Common Sweetgrass |
| Juniperus communis |
Common Juniper |
| Juniperus horizontalis |
Creeping Juniper |
| Lappula squarrosa |
Bristly Stickseed |
| Lupinus arcticus |
Arctic Lupine |
| Lupinus kuschei |
Yukon Lupine |
| Minuartia rubella |
Red Sandwort |
| Oxytropis campestris varians |
Alaskan Locoweed |
| Oxytropis splendens |
Showy Locoweed |
| Penstemon gormanii |
Yukon Pensternon, Gorman's Beardtongue |
| Penstemon procerus |
Shrubby Penstemon |
| Picea glauca |
White Spruce |
| Pinus contorta ssp. laterifolia |
Lodgepole Pine |
| Poa cusickii |
Mutton Grass |
| Poa glauca |
Glaucous Bluegrass |
| Poa pratensis |
Kentucky Bluegrass |
| Poa secunda |
Curly Blue Grass |
| Polemonium pulcherrimum |
Showy Jacob's-ladder |
| Populus balsamifera |
Balsam Poplar |
| Populus tremuloides |
Trembling Aspen |
| Potentilla hookeriana |
Hooker's Cinquefoil |
| Potentilla pensylvanica |
Pennsylvania Cinquefoil |
| Pulsatilia patens |
Prairie Crocus |
| Rosa acicularis |
Prickly Rose |
| Salix alaxensis ssp. longistylis |
Felt-leaf Willow |
| Salix barclayi |
Barclay's Willow |
| Salix glauca |
Grey-leaved Willow |
| Salix niphoclada |
Barren-ground Willow |
| Salix planifolia |
Tea-leaf Willow |
| Salix pseudomyrsinites |
Tall Blueberry Willow |
| Salix scouleriana |
Scouler's Willow |
| Saxifraga triscuspidata |
Three-toothed Saxifrage |
| Sedum lanceolatum |
Lance-leaved Stonecrop |
| Silene taimyrensis |
Taimyrensis Catchfly |
| Solidago simplex |
Spikelike Goldenrod |
| Stellaria longipes |
Long-stalked Starwort |
| Stipa nelsonii ssp. dorei |
Nelson's Needle-grass |
| Taraxacum sp. |
Dandilion |
| Viburnum edule |
American Highbush-cranberry |
| Zygadenus elegans |
Death Camas |
A Guide to Carcross, Yukon
