About Dryas octopetala L.
Dryas octopetala L. has woody, tortuous stems with short, horizontal rooting branches. Its leaves are hairless on the upper surface, and densely covered in white woolly hairs on the lower surface. Flowers grow on stalks 3–10 cm (1–4 in) long, and have eight creamy white petals, which is the reason for its specific epithet octopetala. The style remains attached to the fruit and is covered in white feathery hairs that act as a wind-dispersal agent. The feathery hairs of the seed head first appear twisted together and glossy, before spreading out into an expanded ball that is quickly dispersed by wind. Dryas octopetala occurs widely across mountainous areas, where it is generally restricted to limestone outcrops. Its range covers the entire Arctic, as well as the mountains of Scandinavia, Iceland, the Alps, the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and scattered isolated locations elsewhere. In Great Britain, it grows in the Pennines of Northern England, at two sites in the Snowdonia region of North Wales, and more broadly across the Scottish Highlands. In Ireland, it is found on The Burren and a small number of other sites. In North America, it occurs in Alaska (most often on formerly glaciated terrain) and through the Canadian Rockies, extending as far south as Colorado in the Rocky Mountains. It grows in dry areas where snow melts early, on gravel and rocky barrens, and forms a distinct heath community on calcareous soils. In temperate regions, D. octopetala is cultivated as a groundcover, or as a plant for alpine or rock gardens. It has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Its leaves are sometimes used to make herbal tea.
