About Dryas octopetala subsp. alaskensis (A.E.Porsild) Hultén
This subspecies has woody, twisted stems that bear short, horizontal branches that root. Its leaves are hairless on the upper surface, and densely covered in white fuzzy hairs on the lower surface. Flowers grow on stalks 3–10 cm (1–4 in) long, and each has eight creamy white petals — this feature gives the parent species its specific epithet octopetala. The style remains attached to the ripe fruit and is covered in white feathery hairs, which act as an agent for wind dispersal of the seed. The feathery hairs of the seed head first look twisted together and glossy, before spreading out into an expanded round shape that wind disperses quickly. Dryas octopetala as a species is widespread across mountainous areas, where it is generally limited 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 Snowdonia (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 terrain that was covered by glaciers in the past), and extends through the Canadian Rockies 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 plant community on calcium-rich (calcareous) soils. D. octopetala is cultivated in temperate regions as a groundcover plant, or for use in 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.
