The tough little Dryas Octopetala ("Mountain
Avens") will flower only in desolate tundra environments. Its durable
pollen (a grain greatly enlarged, below) has long been used as a
reliable indicator of arctic climate conditions many thousands of
years ago.

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Dryas photo: S. Weart, Devon Island, Nunavuk, Canada,
2005. Main page flower photo by Bob Skowron, courtesy Rocky Mountain Rare
Plants. Pollen photo copyright K.D. Bennett, Uppsala University.
Page
copyright (c) 2005 Spencer Weart and American Institute of Physics.
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