About Cassiope tetragona (L.) D.Don
Cassiope tetragona, which has common names including Arctic bell-heather, white Arctic mountain heather and Arctic white heather, is a plant native to the high Arctic and northern Norway, where it occurs widely. It is a strongly branched dwarf shrub that reaches 10–20 cm in height. Its evergreen leaves are grooved, scale-like, and arranged in four rows. The pedicels are long and arched. This plant produces solitary, bell-shaped flowers that usually have white and pink lobes and pink anthers. The flower stalks and sepals are red, though petals may also be yellowish-white. Anthers can also be brownish-yellow, and flower stalks and sepals can be yellowish-green. It grows on ridges and heaths, often growing in abundance and forming a distinctive, attractive plant community. In Greenland, indigenous peoples use this plant as an important source of fuel. Due to its high resin content, it burns even when it is wet. The plant can also be used in cooking; Canadian chef Louis Charest used arctic heather as a smoked herb for the 2016 Three Amigos Summit state dinner.
