Flowers Canada proudly serves the cities in Canada, Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and all other cities and surrounding suburbs. We can deliver your order the same day, as long as you order the flowers and gifts before 1pm receiver time. We choose only the freshest, top quality flowers.
The Arctic
Zone 1 -60 to -50 degree F (51to -46 C)
It is no small matter to say that the flora of the Arctic is shaped by the patterns and variations of the climate. The climate is characterized by severity, seasonality, and unpredictable variability. Winter temperatures of -46 degrees Celsius and less - the coldest temperature ever recorded was -66 degrees Celsius-coupled with cool summers, challenge even the hardiest plant material. The summers, lasting for just two brief months from July to August, are so cool that the determining factor behind differing vegetative regions within the zone is not the extreme cold of winter but the amount of warmth received during summer. Precipitation is also limited, with some areas receiving less than 2 inches per year. The long days at this time (24 hours of daylight) compensate for the rigors of the short summers and cold conditions.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the Antarctic continent, which is uninhabited and has very few species of flowering plant, are confined to the Antarctic peninsula. In the remaining area, there are only lichens and mosses. There is greater diversity I the Northern Hemisphere, where the Arctic landscapes range from bare rock to swamp, glacier to meadow, and mountain to lowland plain. The key feature of most land areas in this zone is permafrost. This permanently frozen ground reaches depths of 1,640 yards (1,500m) in Siberia, and extends under most land areas. Because of the permafrost, plant roots are closer to the surface and are exposed to more sever cold. Plants need to be able to withstand solid freezing for many months. For 7 to 10 months every year, plants are in a state of quasihibernation. During the remaining couple of months, they run through their entire growth cycle.
The Arctic and Antarctic plants survive these extreme conditions in many ways. The severity of the climate means that the major biomass of the plants exists below ground. This reduces the desiccation (drying out) due to prevalent strong winds that result in much sand/soil abrasion. The reproductive cycle of the vascular plants is often carried out over a period of years. For example, buds formed one year will be generally covered in hair to increase insulation, and then will often lie beneath the soil surface until the following year when they complete their reproductive cycle. This survival mechanism also allows plants to miraculously bloom within hours of the snow cover melting. Many plants use unique means to ensure survival. Dryas integrifolia, a dwarf, creeping, slightly woody shrub of the rose family, has flowers in the shape of a curved reflector. This allows them to follow the sun and to focus the sun's rays on their reproductive structures to raise the temperature of these organs several degrees on a sunny day. Many Arctic plants will retain dense mats of dead or persistent leaves that can produce a rise of as much as 16 Celsius.